Palace nixes calls for suspending mining rules

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Monday announced that the Palace rejected the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines’ request to suspend the revised guidelines on Free and Prior Informed Consent as modified by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NICP).

 

Lacierda said that Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. had met with the NCIP, to discuss the letter sent by the mines chamber. It was decided not to suspend or further change the revised FPIC guidelines.

 

According to the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997,  the Free and Prior Informed Consent guidelines are “the consensus of all members of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples to be determined in accordance with their respective customary laws and practices, free from any external manipulation, interference and coercion, and obtained after fully disclosing the intent and scope of the activity, in a language an process understandable to the community.”

 

However, Lacierda emphasized that despite the revisions made “there had been no substantial change in the rules on FPIC.”

 

“They are basically the same rules that have been in place even before. What they have done was to revise the guidelines and the guidelines amended the 2006 administrative order on FPIC,” he said.

 

“The major objective of the guidelines is to close gaps to avoid any misinterpretation that may lead to unnecessary conflict of laws. The guidelines were not meant to impinge on the rights of various stakeholders of society but were issued to make all processes being undertaken by all offices of the NCIP and which should be more transparent and more adherent to the law,” he said.

 

The Chamber of Mines, in its letter to the Office of the President, asked revised guidelines on FCIP be suspended or reconsidered, saying that it would weaken investor confidence in the country. 

 

With the revised guidelines, which takes effect next June, the mines chamber said the country stands to lose investments of about $3.76 billion in gold, copper and nickel tenements.

 

As this developed, Lacierda said the executive order on the administration’s mining policy is now “in the process of being finalized.”

 

“The EO is forthcoming. They have consulted with the stakeholders in the process of finalizing the EO on mining. The mining industry has also been consulted. The various civil society organizations and civilian volunteer organizations have also been consulted,” he added. —DVM/VS, GMA News