Responsible mining in PH real, not myth
By Eireene Jairee Gomez | The Manila Times | February 12, 2022
WITH numerous controversies surrounding the mining industry for decades, local companies in the Philippines proved that responsible mining here is not a myth, but real and is happening.
At the “Elevating the Mission of Responsible Mining” two-day online forum organized by the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB), executives of several mining firms in the country discussed some of their practices that adhere to the national and international standards of responsible mining.
The government has been strictly enforcing measures on the mining industry to ensure it will adopt environmentally sustainable and responsible extractive practices.
The Philippines is one of the countries in the world rich in mineral resources, which can reap tremendous benefits for the economy and its people if responsible and sustainable practices are strictly adhered to by the mining industry.
During the online forum, Jose Bayani Baylon, vice president for Corporate Communications of Nickel Asia Corp., shared how responsible mining companies operate to guarantee the sustainability of the industry as a potential economic growth driver.
“An organization that abides by the rules, regulations, customs and traditions, practices and processes, and fulfill its obligations to its stakeholders, partners, clients, suppliers… is what make a responsible organization. Many say there are incidents and accidents… that makes you irresponsible, but that’s not the point. The gauge of responsibility is not that there are incidents, but what a company does in response to those incidents,” Baylon said.
Every year, the Mining Industry Coordinating Council conducts a multi-stakeholder review on the performance of existing mining operations as mandated by Executive Order 79 in 2012. The purpose of the audit is to address issues relating to the mining industry and to improve the regulation of the sector.
Responsible mining in the Philippines is real, Baylon stressed. “The question whether or not responsible mining is real… is an insult to the MGB. These people have sworn to do one thing, which is to foster responsible mining in the country… It is an insult to these people in the MGB to claim that there is no responsible mining.”
He even recalled the first visit of former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez in Rio Tuba mine in Palawan in 2017. “Her first few words she uttered were ‘pwede pala’ (it can be done), an acknowledgment that responsible mining is possible, is happening, thanks of course to the efforts of the companies and of the MGB.”
Source: The Manila Times