Defensor cancels 65 mining tenements

Environment Secretary Michael Defensor has canceled 65 non-performing mining tenements for violating certain provisions of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

In a memorandum order he issued before leaving for Malaysia last Wednesday to attend a mining conference, Defensor revoked with finality the mining tenements after the mining contractors failed to conduct mining activities over a long period of time.

Specifically, some of the mining contractors failed to perform annual work obligations and failed to pay occupation fees for more than two years.

Mining tenements include Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA), Mining/Placer/Lode Lease Contract, and Application for Exploration Permit.

"In line with the government’s thrust to revitalize the Philippine minerals industry, several measures were undertaken to monitor mineral agreements and maximize the resource potential of mineral lands through the conduct of inventory of all approved and pending mining tenements, including the determination of status of compliance with the approved work programs and the terms and conditions of the agreements," Defensor said.

At the same time, Defensor ordered a moratorium on the acceptance of mining applications to provide for "a rational disposition" of mineral lands involved in the canceled mining tenements.

The moratorium will stay until such time that an appropriate policy is issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Among the canceled mining tenements were mining contracts on extraction of gold, silver, perlite, copper, white clay, marbleized limestone, silica, quartz, greenstones, marble, ball clay, granite (dimension stone), black clay, feldspar, shale, chromite, cobalt, zinc, rock phosphate, bentonite, and nickel.

The canceled mining tenements include permits approved by the DENR from 1980 to 1997.

On Feb. 1, Department Memorandum Order No. 2005-03 was issued to the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau, which contained a list of canceled non-performing mining tenements.

Defensor said the records would show that even within or beyond the prescribed period, the mining contractors or permit applicants failed to file their respective motions for reconsideration on the cancellation.

"This, therefore, made the cancellation of their mining tenements final and executory," he added.