The directive follows President Arroyo’s signing last week of Executive Order 270 or the National Policy Agenda on Revitalizing Mining in the Philippines, which the local mining industry hopes will give more teeth to the implementation of the disputed Philippine Mining Act (PMA) of 1995.
"The national policy agenda is crucial to the revitalization of the minerals industry because it focuses on the policy gaps in mineral resources management that the Mining Act of 1995 and other existing policies were not able to address," said DENR Secretary Elisea G. Gozun.
The EO also stressed the government’s policy shift from tolerance to more responsible mining. It also recognized the country’s sovereignty over mining rights granted to foreign investors.
The top priorities for the MAP include the rehabilitation of abandoned mines and pursuing accountability for the negative impacts of mining.
"We recognize that this is the single biggest source of concern and lack of confidence in the development of the minerals industry,"’ said Gozun.
In previous press briefings, the Chamber of Mines in the Philippines complained about the DENR’s indifference to the plight of the local mining industry.
Benjamin Romualdez, president of CMP and Benguet Mining Corp., one of the country’s biggest mining companies, said that because the PMA cannot be implemented, the country is being deprived of new investments while forfeiting about $2.5 billion in potential additional export revenues each year.
Environment groups have been blocking implementation of the PMA and questioning several provisions. They have asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare Republic Act 7942 or PMA 1995 as unconstitutonal.
Groups such as the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan (LRC-KSK) launched a national campaign seeking the scrapping of the Mining Act. The groups are pushing for the cancellation of all existing financial and technical assistance agreements (FTAAs), mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs), exploration permits, and other mining agreements.
They added that the PMA also violates the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act since most of pending mining concessions are located in the ancestral lands also being claimed by indigenous groups or tribes.
"Until we get these issues clarified, it would be hard for the mining sector to move forward," Romualdez said.