TUCP supports BBM’s move to protect small-scale miners

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s biggest labor group, has thrown its support behind the call of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to bolser regulation of the smallscale mining industry to ensure the welfare of small-scale miners.

The move, the labor group said, stands to benefit from 200,000 to 500,000 workers in the small-scale mining industry in terms of safety, social protection and welfare.

“Like the President, our clarion call is clear: the legitimization and formalization of our small-scale mining industry is the key to improved productivity, sustainable growth and just work conditions of the hundreds of thousands of workers in this industry, alongside their families and communities,” said the TUCP in a statement.

It said that small-scale miners contribute as much as 70 percent to 80 percent of the entire mining industry’s total output, which translates to P90 to P145 billion every year.

Earlier, the President ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to strengthen its regulatory powers for small- and large-scale mining to ensure that standards are updated and that mining firms are strictly implementing their respective safety and health programs for workers.

The Chief Executive expressed concern on the risk that small-scale miners confront while working inside mines with inadequate safety measures, and without social protection and security.

TUCP said that as long as workers in the small-scale mining industry remain invisible and informal, they have little social protection and social benefits.

“They have no labor and health and safety standards. They lack access to personal protective equipment and medical personnel. By operating unregistered, they are further vulnerable to corrupt practices, with miners forced to pay bribes to authorities,” it said.

It stressed that without legitimization and regulation, workers in the small-scale mining industry are trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty where they continuously suffer the day-to-day grind, risking spinal injuries and pollution exposure, yet earn barely enough.

According to the Office of the Press Secretary, the President may certify urgent bills on small-scale mining such as amendments to Republic Act (RA) 7096 or the “People’s Small-scale Mining Act of 199.”

The TUCP president and concurrent party-list Rep. Raymond Mendoza said that he will move for the amendment of RA 7096 and Executive Order 79, series of 2012 to make the law more responsive to the needs of all small-scale mining stakeholders. The aim is to fulfill the law’s ultimate goal of incentivizing the wider formalization of the industry.

“Our proposed reforms and advocacies center on promoting the ease of formalization of the existing informal operations of small-scale mining enterprises, taking into consideration their peculiar stature vis-avis the large-scale mining rights holders,” he said.

“This can be achieved by streamlining the Minahang Bayan petitioning, licensing, and registration processes. This can be done by promoting localized access, simplifying documentary requirements, ensuring affordable fees, ensuring reasonable application time, establishing one-stop-shops and leveraging technology,” he explained.