NEWS

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) on Thursday announced the composition of an advisory body under its Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative to promote sustainable mining in the country.

The adoption of TSM in December 2017, a program designed to promote sustainable mining and developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) in 2004, is mandatory for COMP member-companies.

COMP members represent the big players in the metallic mineral subsector.

The COI Advisory Panel members and the sectors they represent are:

• Rogelio Francisco Bantayan Jr., executive director, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples—IP sector;
• Gov. Al Francis Bichara, governor of Albay—local government;
• Carlos Primo David, professor of Geology and Environmental Science at the University of the Philippines (UP) National Institute of Geological Sciences—environment;
• Edwin Domingo, former officer in charge director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mines and Geosciences Bureau—policy/technical;
• Cielo Magno, assistant professor, School of Economics, UP and concurrent Civil Society Organization representative, International Board, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative—CSO/academe;
• Fr. Jerome Marquez, SVD, provincial superior, Society of Divine World and Canon lawyer—religious;
• Atty. Jose V. Mejia, partner at the Ligon Solis, Mejia, Florendo Law Firm and a member of the Judicial and Bar Council—legal;
• Ronald Mendoza, dean of the Ateneo School of Government and a senior fellow, East-West Institute —academe;
• Liezyl Liton-Relleta, VP and project director, GAIA South Inc. and a member of Foresters League of the Philippines—forestry/environment;
• Gerard Seno, national executive vice president and national executive board member, ALU-TUCP—labor;
• Luchi Cruz-Valdes, head of News and Information at TV 5—media;
• Alexis Benjamin Zaragoza III, partner at SGV & Co.—finance

Aside from the 12, three ex-officio members from the mining industry sits as members of the advisory body. They are Eulalio Austin, president of Philex Mining Corp.; Gloria Tan Climaco, chairman of Filminera Resources Corp. and Gerard Brimo who is also chairman and CEO of Nickel Asia Corp.

The adoption of the “tried and tested” system in Canada made the Philippines the first in Asia to subscribe to the self-assessment system that is rapidly evolving to be the global standard for best practices in sustainable mining.

In a news statement, Brimo said the COI Panel will “provide guidance and a place for robust discussions with COMP on current mining issues.”

“Its members—all with the necessary respect and credibility within their respective area of interest to be an authoritative voice on the Panel —will advise COMP on the implementation of TSM and review TSM implementation results,” Brimo said.

What panel members think

Panel members interviewed by the BusinessMirror said the TSM initiative and the creation fo the COI Advisory Panel are welcome developments.

Magno, a member of the mining advisory body said that TSM has a huge potential to improve the compliance of large-scale metallic mining companies with existing regulations of the country.

Asked if it will help improve public perception of mining, Cielo who is a vocal critic of irresponsible mining said it will “if implemented properly.”

She added that it will improve transparency and accountability of the industry and with access to information, over time, “it will contribute to the improvement of public perception of mining.”

For his part, Fr. Jerome Marquez, SVD, another member of the mining advisory body from the religious sector believes that the TSM is a step toward the direction desired by Pope Francis.

He noted that Pope Francis himself mentioned that minerals are gifts of God and historically are being used by people.

“Mining per se is not evil, but rather mining is how we use what God has given us. This TSM COI Advisory Panel is a step towards the direction of using mining for the good of all,” he said.

“Mining is an essential part of the development of a country. The extremes of mining is what we need to watch out for,” Marquez said. “I think this TSM is a conversion to self-assess and to improve. This means that the industry recognizes the reality that it is not perfect and needs to change,” he said.

According to Marquez, TSM’s value of honesty is “very laudable.” “Without honesty, all this assessment is nothing. Let us be honest to engage one another,” said Marquez.

First meeting

The COI Advisory Panel members recently attended an orientation session conducted by Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of MAC; and David Walkem, a respected forester and former chief of the Cooks Ferry Indian Band for 28 years. Walkem has been a Canada COI Panel member since 2016.

Gratton said improved public perception and, eventually, acceptance of mining in the Philippines will not happen overnight but in due time. He is confident that TSM will boost the standing of COMP member-companies overtime because the TSM model is “so difficult that it raises the bar in mining.”

He said in their experience in Canada, after 15 years, more and more companies have joined MAC. “We have more members today than when we started TSM in 2004,” he said.

Apart from Canada and the Philippines, other countries that have adopted TSM are Finland, Argentina, Botswana, Spain, and Brazil. South Africa, Indonesia and Laos have expressed strong interest in adopting TSM as well.

Source: Business Mirror