MICC taps experts for mines review

The interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) has commissioned 25 experts to undertake the “fact-finding and sciencebased” review of the operations of 26 mine sites which were suspended or ordered closed last year by former environment secretary Regina Lopez.

Finance Undersecretary Bayani Agabin said the experts would be divided into five technical review teams (TRT) to reevaluate starting this month the operations of those mine sites.

Agabin represented the Department of Finance (DOF) at the yearend meeting of the MICC co-chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu last month.

The body has tapped the expertise of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) to implement and manage the review of the suspended or closed mine sites.

Mercedita Sombilla, assistant secretary at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said the review is aimed at coming up with recommendations on mining-related methodologies and procedures to maximize the benefits of mining and avoid damages.

She said it would also help identify inefficiencies, violations or damages done by min- ing companies that are difficult to address by the environment department alone.

Likewise, she said the MICC would lay down the appropriate penalties to be imposed for such inefficiencies, violations and damages done.

“The review teams are also expected to recommend measures that need to be instituted to avoid the recurrence of such inefficiencies/violations/ damages, and to improve mining operations with a view to effectively safeguard the environment and protect the rights of resource-dependent communities,” she said.

Sombilla said a list of provisions in any laws, rules and regulations needed to be revised or amended to improve mining operations and ensure the development of a responsible mining sector, along with a framework, or set of standards and procedures to institutionalize the conduct of review for the remaining existing operating mines should also be covered by the study to be done by the review teams.

“The final report will be a consolidated one. We will not see individual reports for each of the mines. It’s going to be consolidated. It’s going to be general -- the key results that will come out of the 26 mining sites,” she said.

Sombilla said members of the review teams have been meeting as early as November last years to finalize the mining review framework.