THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has given the Benguet Provincial Mining Regulatory Board the authority to decide whether mine tunnels, stockpiled mineral ores, and mineral processing plants in Itogon will be reopened. The decision on what to do with adits and processing plants closed and/or cordoned off, and stockpile of mineral ore earlier inventoried by the National Task Force–Mining Challenge ‘Operation Itogon’ shall be decided by the local board. The adits and processing plants shall remain closed and shall not be utilized, and the stockpile of mineral ore shall not be processed and disposed unless allowed by the board. According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), “the board agreed to grant temporary permits for the operation of ball mills and sluicing activities only.” MGB also said that an advisory has been issued for the guidelines in the issuance of special permits to process ore stockpiles. DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu ordered a stop to all small-scale mining activities in CAR on Sept. 17 following a landslide that killed dozens in Itogon town when typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut) hit the region. According to the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, around 20,000 in the province are engaged in the trade. — Philstar

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