Processing time of mine permits to be reduced
By Irma Isip | Malaya | April 8, 2024
The government will come up with new guidelines this year reducing the processing for mining permits, according to Secretary Frederick Go, Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs.
Go in his speech at the general membership meeting of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry on April 5 in Makati City, said the government wants to encourage mining investments by reducing the processing time to get exploration projects going.
Go said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is currently working on the guidelines.
Go later told reporters the Philippines is putting emphasis on mining because of the potential especially in nickel.
The Philippines is the largest exporter of nickel ore to the world and aims to attract foreign investors for value-added processing.
The Philippines, Go said, is looking to follow the roadmap that Indonesia has pursued for nickel downstream processing where the world’s largest nickel producer focused on high-value finished products, including a full electric vehicle supply chain.
“We (will) go from the exploration of ore to nickel processing, to electric batteries to electric vehicles that’s in a perfect world. The achievement of having an electric vehicle factory in this country is probably beyond my time but I feel it is imperative to lay the groundwork now,” he said.
The Philippine Nickel Industry Association has been in discussion with the government on how to fast-track the approval of mining permits, through a “one-stop shop” program.
The group said this would help the permitting process to six months to one year from the current five to 10 years.
Source: Malaya.Com
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