Audit of mining operations continues; open-pit still banned

Last year, miners were on the lookout for any new pronouncements President Rodrigo Duterte might make about the mining industry in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23, 2018.

Open-pit mining was banned across the Philippines by former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez in 2017. This was retained by her successor and incumbent Secretary Roy Cimatu.

There was a recommendation by the inter-agency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) to lift the ban, but this was rejected by Duterte.

In his 2018 SONA, the President told mining companies not to "destroy the environment or compromise our resources," and that they should "repair what you have mismanaged."

"Try to change [your] management radically because this time you will have restrictive policies. The prohibition of open-pit mining is one," he added.

This month, the MICC is set to start the second round of its audit on the mining industry to ensure that operations are not hazardous to the government.

A total of 17 mining operations will be covered by the audit, which will be conducted by the same technical teams that undertook the first round of reviews in 2018 that covered 27 mines.

The review will cover the environmental, economic, social, legal, and technical aspects of the mining operations.

Last year's audit resulted in the clearance of 23 operations after they were found to be compliant with environmental and other state regulations.

The remaining four mines were recommended for closure, but were allowed to appeal the decision with the Office of the President. — BM, GMA News