Gina Lopez to mining investors: Go away

Former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez on Tuesday asked foreign investors in the mining industry to "go away" and stop coming to the country.

"Because he (Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III) invited the investors...I'm speaking on behalf of ten billion people...I'm telling mining investors when they come here and break our country and kill the future of our people, go away! Go away and don't even think of coming here. We don't want you here, don't even think of coming here," Lopez said during a press conference in Quezon City.

"They come here to make money so when the price drops they go away. They're not interested in helping our people, they're interested in making money. So when they're not making money, they go away and leave us like this. Canada went away, Australia...They're only coming here when the money is good. Go away. Don't come back here...because we have plans for our country," she added.

Dominguez earlier called on the government to support a "strong governance framework" for the Philippine extractive industry to ensure the sustainability of the environment while creating additional revenues.

The Commission on Appointments (CA) rejected the appointment of Lopez as  secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). She is the second Cabinet official appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to be rejected by the CA.

She had faced over 30 filed oppositions and three CA committee hearings in which she was questioned on her order to close 23 mining operations and suspend five others last February, her memorandum on imposing a P2-million trust fund per hectare of land disturbed by miners, and her competence to lead the agency.

Lopez was replaced by former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Roy Cimatu.

Cimatu, for his part, said that he will allow responsible mining under his watch. —NB, GMA News