THE Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) said it signed the Baguio Declaration, with its members pledging to operate within the bounds of sustainable and responsible mining practices.
The industry signed the declaration after Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy A. Cimatu issued a challenge last month at the 64th Annual National Mining Safety and Environment Conference in Baguio City.
CoMP Vice-Chairman Jose P. Leviste, Jr. said: “This is not a difficult commitment to make because most of us are already practicing these principles. In fact, as you have heard, two Filipino companies, Nickel Asia Corp. and [OceanaGold Corp.] won […] the highest mining awards in the region,” he added.
Mr. Leviste was referring to the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations Minerals Award where Nickel Asia’s Rio Tuba Mining Corp. was found to have adopted best practices for mineral mining while OceanaGold took first place in the minerals processing category.
The declaration contains five elements, which require that mining operations be people-oriented, protect and enhance the environment, respect the rights and welfare of the Indigenous Peoples, contribute a fair share of revenue to the national economy and comply with international standards.
“The Baguio Declaration is the second giant step that the CoMP is taking today as a journey to institutionalize responsible and sustainable mineral development in the country,” he added.
Prior to signing the Baguio Declaration, CoMP also signed the Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) Toward Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative.
The TSM initiative is an agreement to follow certain standards, subject to evaluation by an external auditor every three years. It also requires mining companies to submit an annual report on the protocols implemented under the initiative.
The Philippines is the fourth country to sign the initiative, helping meet the fifth element of the Baguio Declaration.
CoMP Chairman Gerard H. Brimo told reporters that the first few steps of the TSM would include a two-day workshop with the president and vice-president of the MAC and the formation of a local “community of interest” made up of a panel of advisers to assist CoMP in the implementation of the protocols.
“Randomly every year, [they will also] interview selected mining companies and discuss their performance so it will take a couple of years to implement but today we’ve taken the first steps towards launching TSM towards sustainable mining so it’s a positive development for us,” Mr. Brimo said.
Mines and Geosciences Bureau officer-in-charge Wilfredo G. Moncano noted that while the first half of the 2017 was “unstable” for the mining industry, this year was still better with the revival of the relationship between the industry and the government in the last few months.
“There are agreements now that for example these bills that are pending in Congress, with the increase of the excise tax. The mining industry supports these bills,” he added.
“I think (the previous DENR leadership) served as a wakeup call… so they are now aware of their responsibilities.” — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
