Robredo to cancel Duterte's EO lifting mining ban if she wins presidency

Vice President Leni Robredo said on Sunday that if she wins the presidency, she will cancel President Rodrigo Duterte's executive order which lifted the nine-year mining ban in the Philippines, adding that she will push for "more responsible mining."

Robredo was referring to Duterte's signed Executive Order (EO) 130 which lifted the nine-year ban on allowing new mining agreements, which supposedly aims to maximize government revenues and stir economic growth. 

"I am not for an absolute ban sa mining pero I am for more responsible mining," Robredo, an independent presidential aspirant, said during an online forum conducted by Women Lawyers for Leni 2022.

"'Yung EO na pinasa ni Presidente if I will be given the privilege of serving this country, 'yun 'yung isa sa mga aalisin ko (If I will be given the privilege of serving this country, that EO issued by the President will be among those I will scrap)," she added.

Aside from this, Robredo said she is also seeking for the passage of the National Land Use Act which will help identify which parts of the country should be declared as no mining zones.

But since the passage of bills into law would take a long time, Robredo said she will also issue an executive order to declare "no mining areas" in the Philippines.

"Because it takes time na mapasa 'yung batas na ito (it takes time to pass these laws) I will issue an EO already.... declaring no mining areas," she said.

She also defended bills that promote responsible mining that will not hurt local communities.

"Number one, ang magbe-benefit dito ang local communities (local communities will benefit). Number two, that no mining activities or any such projects that would be conducted without proper consultations," she said.

Some mining companies usually conduct consultations but not "honest to goodness" types of communications with communities who will be affected by mining activities, Robredo also said.

"Nadi-displace ang communities. More often than not nada-damage ang ancestral domain ng IPs and yet they don't benefit from these activities," she said.

(Communities are displaced. More often than not, ancestral domain of IPs are being damaged.) —KG, GMA News