Ban on open-pit mining stays despite MICC recommendation —Palace

The ban on open-pit mining stays even after the Mining Industry Coordinating Council recommended that President Rodrigo Duterte lift the prohibition, presidential spokesman Secretary Harry Roque said on Monday.

The MICC is a top-level mechanism co-chaired by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.

"I verified this personally with the President, he says that the ban on new open-pit mining remains," Roque said.

He, however, has yet to find out if the Chief Executive has already been informed of the MICC recommendation that he lift the ban.

"This is one of the instances when I personally asked the President if there’s been a change in policy and he says, that there is still no new policy on this, there is still a ban on new open-pit mining," Roque said.

Asked if this meant Duterte rejected the MICC's recommendation, Roque said, "That’s the response I got. I’m not sure about whether or not the MICC recommendation has reached the President. I will verify."

The MICC in October said that majority of the members of the panel voted to recommend that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources "lift the ban on open-pit mining provided that mining laws, rules and regulations are strictly enforced." —NB, GMA News