MANILA, Philippines — I visited a nickel mining site for the first time, upon the invite of Berong Nickel Corp. (BNC), a subsidiary of DMCI Mining Corp.
The mining site in Quezon, Palawan, is about two hours from Puerto Princesa with winding roads and some unpaved sections.
I knew it was not going to be a walk in the park but I was curious to see an actual mining site that is undergoing rehabilitation.
Berong Mine, which covers a 288-hectare Mineral Production Sharing Agreement area, is one such mine already undergoing rehabilitation.
Of the 288 hectares, BNC reported that 137 hectares were previously utilized for mining operations. The remaining 151 hectares were left undisturbed.
To date, 100 hectares have already been rehabilitated, with restoration work continuing across the remaining disturbed areas.
I was not expecting to see a paradise of greenery. Not at all. In fact, I expected to see depleted, all-brown barren patches of earth amid lush green forests.
Upon reaching the site, I saw reddish-brown slopes dotted with rows of young trees and covered in sections with erosion-control mats.
There were rows and rows of seedlings of different tree varieties in different stages of growth, waiting to reach their full potential.
There was a portion with fully grown trees. One would definitely need patience to see the trees grow to their full height.
But mine rehabilitation, I learned as I chatted with DMCI Mining vice-president for operations Ramon Briones during the site visit, is more than planting trees.
He said it is a combination of topsoil replacement, slope stabilization, erosion control, among others; it’s all about engineering and ecological restoration.
The goal is to restore the land to a safe, stable and productive condition. All this alongside indigenous tree planting and biodiversity monitoring.
Since mining activities at the Berong Mine in Quezon, Palawan concluded in 2021, BNC has shifted its focus from mineral production to implementing a six-year Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan — the first approved FMRDP for a nickel mine in the Philippines.
During a briefing for journalists at the BNC office, officials said BNC has invested approximately P160 million in rehabilitation activities, planted nearly 352,000 seedlings, with a 97 percent survival rate and produced more than 497,000 seedlings in its nurseries, exceeding its year four targets under the six-year rehabilitation program.
“The program remains on track for completion in 2027, after which the rehabilitated area will be formally turned over to the government.
“Beyond the mine site, BNC also implements mangrove reforestation, sea turtle conservation and coral gardening programs in close coordination with the DENR, regulators and host communities,” BNC said in a separate statement.
Rehabilitation is required by Philippine law.
“Mining companies are responsible for mine rehabilitation throughout the entire mining life cycle, be it improving soil quality, planting native species or maintaining the restored site,” according to Eco-Business.com.
Beyond rehabilitation
Our group of visiting journalists was also briefed on other community initiatives in the area.
BNC detailed these community contributions in its statement:
From 2007 to 2022, for instance, BNC invested nearly P200 million through its Social Development and Management Program, supporting education, health care, infrastructure, livelihood and socio-cultural initiatives.
At the peak of its operations in 2019, BNC provided employment to 537 workers, 97 percent of whom were local hires from Palawan.
Sustainable livelihood programs benefitted hundreds of farmers, fisherfolk and women through agroforestry, banana cultivation, sea cucumber culture and seaweed farming. BNC also supported 161 college scholars and 86 Indigenous Peoples scholars who successfully completed their bachelor’s degrees.
In health care, the company funded emergency obstetric and newborn care facilities, health centers, ambulances, medicines and community health workers, improving access to medical services for more than 8,000 residents of Barangays Berong and Aramaywan.
The company also invested in farm-to-market roads, schools, child development centers, barangay halls, churches, covered courts, footbridges, electrification projects and other essential community infrastructure.
In addition, it remitted P161 million in royalties to indigenous peoples, supporting the development of their communities.
DMCI Group chairman and BNC chairman Sid Consunji and DMCI Mining president and CEO Das Reyes were also present during the visit, discussing DMCI Mining’s commitment to rehabilitation in many conversations.
The visit satisfied my curiosity about a mining site. I also learned that rehabilitation is such a tedious process.
But perhaps for something as massive and intrusive as mining operations, the only way forward is to ensure rehabilitation is done correctly and completely.
One visit isn’t enough for me to see if rehabilitation can actually work after years of disturbance to the area’s natural ecology.
But as I said, I did see rows and rows of trees. I imagine the site, years from now, becoming a full-grown forest.
Still, it’s inevitable that mining, although critical in our daily lives, will always be controversial, especially due to its environmental impact.
As such, post-mining rehabilitation is necessary.
Here’s what I read in an article on ScienceDirect titled Post-mining ecosystem reconstruction.
“Mine-site rehabilitation is critical to mining as it underpins the social license for mines to operate. Mining is often viewed in a negative light by the public rather than as an essential source of materials that does not harm people, places and nature.”
“To change this perception, real improvements in mining practices and rehabilitation are needed. Current mining operations are ever improving, but the industry retains an enormous legacy of harmful and polluting sites left for nation states to remediate, should they have the will and resources to do so.”
In the Philippines, therefore, the government has a crucial role in ensuring that mining companies fulfill their obligations to fully rehabilitate their sites.