Noy says EO 79 is the best it can possibly be

Manila, Philippines - While his executive order on mining has been criticized by several environmental groups, President Aquino insists that EO 79 is the best it can possibly be, considering multi-level consultations his government made on all its stakeholders.

In an interview with journalist Coco Alcuaz, host of ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Business Nightly,” he said a leader should engage all groups concerned to come up with a comprehensive policy program that would at the same time benefit government.

“You have so many different factors that have to be considered if you want to be fair to everybody,” Aquino pointed out, noting that if government fails to take care of the country’s natural resources, then the “mined resources are gone forever.”

He maintained that it is his responsibility that irresponsible miners are shut down, as “this situation shouldn’t be allowed to continue.”

“It has to be corrected and it’s my responsibility to do so,” he stressed.

While the mining issue may have been mostly “noisy,” Aquino claimed this is not the toughest challenge in his two-year-old administration, but rather, improving the plight of Filipinos and taking them out of poverty.

At the same time, the President hinted that imposing a higher tax on miners is not a priority at this point, but the measures on sin tax reform and anti-money laundering remain “higher priorities” (than the new mining law).

Secretary Ricky Carandang echoed the same sentiment of his boss.

“I think that, on the whole, most reasonable stakeholders in mining have agreed that perhaps while it’s not ideal for them, from their point of view, it is something that most of the stakeholders can live with,” he told newsmen.

Carandang said it is also a reality in government that there would always be hardcore elements in any industry.

“So there are certain groups that would be opposed to any kind of EO that would create rules for mining,” he said.

“We knew that if we came out with a mining EO that gave you rules for how it would be pursued, then they would be generally against it. These groups who are totally opposed to any form of mining. So I probably would not be surprised,” Carandang explained.

On Tuesday, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. directed the newly-created Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) and concerned government agencies to begin implementing the comprehensive reforms in the mining sector under EO 79.

Ochoa issued detailed steps to effect the new mining policies aimed at addressing environmental mining standards, improving revenue sharing, and promoting social economic development and social growth.

“In his social contract with the people, the President pledged to lead a government that would encourage the sustainable use of resources to benefit the present and future generations of Filipinos,” Ochoa said.

Aquino’s mining EO “lays out directives that will benefit our countrymen in the long-term by putting in place measures that will protect the environment while ensuring that the country gets the maximum economic benefits from mining,” Ochoa said.