By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With critical minerals playing an indispensable role in the global transition to clean energy and advanced technologies, the Philippines continues to make inroads in making the most out of the country’s available resources.
This, as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 122, s. 2026, which formally establishes a Unified National Policy Framework for Developing the Critical Minerals Industry.
The EO seeks to enable the government to tap into at least nine million hectares of prospective areas identified to have potential for containing vast reserves of various mineral resources, while seeking a balance between recognizing and promoting the welfare of indigenous communities and enhancing investments and empowering downstream industries.
The Framework is likewise guided by four key guiding principles: State Ownership; Economic Development through Critical Minerals; Environmental Protection and Social/Cultural Development; and Policy Stability and Enabling Mechanisms for Private Sector Participation.
As the chief agency tasked with overseeing the implementation of EO 122, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) is tasked to carry out the following duties:
- Implementation of a national exploration and mineral reservation program
- Undertaking preliminary exploration in identified prospective areas
- Strict enforcement of timely and responsible development of critical mineral mining tenements
- Lead the accelerated privatization of government-owned critical mineral mining assets
- Streamlining and digitalizing the mining permitting process through a virtual one-stop shop
For its part, the Department of Trade and Industry – Board of Investments (DTI-BOI) will collaborate with DENR in the promotion of value-adding critical mineral processing investments as well as in securing strategic partnerships and agreements on critical minerals.
EO 122, meanwhile, also calls for the reorganization of the Mining Industry Coordinating Council, co-chaired by the Secretaries of the DENR and the Department of Finance, and expanded to include strategic Cabinet members, local authorities, and indigenous representation.
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