Watchdog seeks tighter regulations on nickel mining

MANILA, Philippines — A global rights watchdog is calling on the government to tighten oversight of the country’s nickel industry, warning that weak regulation and unchecked expansion are threatening local communities and worsening the impact of climate change.

In a new report titled “Broken Promises,” Climate Rights International said the Philippines’ nickel boom, driven by surging global demand for electric vehicle batteries, has come at a steep environmental and social cost.

The group said mining in Mindanao’s Caraga Region has displaced farmers and fisherfolk, polluted waterways and contributed to deforestation and flooding in surrounding areas.

“The urgency of the climate crisis should not be used as an excuse for the endless extraction of minerals like nickel and the serious impacts to frontline communities and ecosystems,” Climate Rights International said in its 125-page report.

The group said pollution and heavy siltation from mining areas have choked rivers and rice fields in Surigao del Sur, while runoff from open pits and waste ponds has turned coastal waters red and damaged mangroves on Dinagat Island.

In some towns, it cited residents suffering from frequent flooding, contaminated drinking water and poor crop yields have become routine since large-scale nickel extraction began.

The organization added that profits from the country’s transition mineral exports were also coming at the expense of the very communities meant to benefit.

Additionally, it noted widespread food insecurity, health problems, and reports of harassment and violence in mining areas.

The group also said that other countries were reaping more of the benefits from the Philippines’ nickel production than the country itself.

It cited that more than 90 percent of the country’s nickel ore exports were shipped to China, while shipments to Indonesia jumped over 4,000 percent from 2023 to 2024 amid growing demand for materials used in electric vehicles.

With these, the report urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to conduct independent and transparent probes into pollution and to strictly enforce environmental laws.

It also called for a halt in the approval of new mining projects until companies comply with both domestic and international safeguards.

The organization said the country risks repeating past extractive cycles that left resource-rich regions behind despite rising export revenues, unless authorities enforce stronger environmental and human rights standards.