THE Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) plans to submit a memorandum to Malacañang recommending stricter extraction regulations, amid some uncertainty over whether President Rodrigo R. Duterte has seen the body’s recommendation to lift the ban on open-pit mining.
The MICC met on Monday and decided to resubmit anew findings of the technical working group (TWG) on open-pit mining to the President, Finance department officials said.
MICC members said the memorandum is not intended to reverse the President’s decision, but would only serve as a basis for future policy decisions.
“What the MICC has decided is to provide the President the info provided by the TWG so it will be in the form of memorandum,” Finance Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa Habitan told reporters late Monday.
She said that the memorandum could be ready by January.
“The President has made a policy decision and we respect that, but since the report the findings of the TWG has not found its way to Malacañang yet, the decision was nevertheless submit it to the President for whatever purpose it may serve,” Finance Undersecretary Bayani H. Agabin said.
“He always will have the final say,” he added.
Former Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez signed on April 27 Department Administrative Order 2017-10, which prohibits the extraction of copper, gold, silver, among others, through the use of open-pit methods. The multiagency mining council however recommended that the ban be lifted on Oct. 24.
Mr. Duterte on the other hand told the media on Nov. 21 that the ban will remain, calling open-pit methods damaging to the environment.
Asked what would the memorandum contain, Mr. Agabin said: “The conclusion was that as a mining method (open-pit) can be safely done but the recommendation was of course we have to tighten enforcement.”
The memorandum will recommend upgrading the sanctions and penalties for violations involving all modes of extraction. “And the penalties have to hurt,” Ms. Habitan said.
She said that the implementation of these measures is within the power of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, a co-chair of the MICC.
“The MICC, as the usual practice, will draft the memorandum signed by the co-chairs and then it will be submitted to Malacañang, and at an appropriate time if the Cabinet sees it worthy to be presented to the Cabinet meeting, Secretary (Roy A.) Cimatu will present the findings.” — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
