A BILL declaring Davao City a mining-free zone passed unanimously on third and final reading at the House of Representatives.
Voting 204-0-0, the chamber approved House Bill 7871, prohibiting all forms of mining in the city, both large-scale and small-scale.
If enacted, the measure means Republic Act 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, and RA 7076, the People’s Small-scale Mining Act of 1991, among other related laws, will no longer apply within the city.
Small-scale mining contracts, will be cancelled upon effectivity of the law and the contractors will be given just one year to undertake rehabilitation, regeneration and reforestation of the mining areas.
The government will also be banned from entering into new agreements allowing exploration; but existing mining contracts and permits will continue until they expire.
Dormant exploration permits will also be cancelled.
Under the measure, quarry permits will continue to be recognized, while quarry permits issued by local governments will be subject to review by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“The DENR shall impose strict regulations in ensuring that not more than one quarry permit is granted to the same person, corporation, its affiliates, subsidiary or any entity that has essentially the same legal personality as the applicant or holder of an existing quarry permit in the City,” according to the measure.
Penalties for offenses range between P1 million and P10 million and 6-12 years’ imprisonment. For juridical entities, the penalties apply to the highest ranking official and the members of the board that authorized the violation.
The bill was authored by Representatives Alberto T. Ungab, Mylene J. Garcia-Albano, Jose Antonio R. Sy-Alvarado and Arnel U. Ty. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

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