THE REVIEW of 26 erring mines has begun, the Mining Industry Coordinating Committee (MICC) said over a year since the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered them to be closed or suspended.

In a statement, MICC co-chair Department of Finance (DoF) said the three-month “fact-finding and science-based” review has started following a meeting on March 7.

Finance Secretary Bayani H. Agabin said they tapped 25 experts clustered into five groups to conduct the first phase of the review, addressing the legal, technical and environmental concerns from mining operations.

“When we were looking at this, we set the period for review for three months. But when the teams were formed, the concern, especially on the economic study, is that they will need the inputs from the technical, the legal and the environment,” Mr. Agabin was quoted in the statement as saying. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

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