LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Sanggunian Panlalawigan Board Member Florencio Bentrez on Friday urged small-scale miners in this province to apply for a “Minahang Bayan” permit to legalize their mining operations.
In an interview, Bentrez expressed sympathy to the so-called “pocket miners”, whose operations were clamped down during the week. But he said he had urged them to secure a permit, so they could continue operating as a “Minahang Bayan” (people’s mining area).
Last week, the mining operations of some 216 small-scale miners were halted in the municipality of Itogon as part of the government’s efforts to curb illegal activities.
In his recent visit to Benguet province, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), an agency under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), to stop illegal mining activities to protect the environment from degradation.
Earlier, Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan and Lomino Kaniteng, president of the Benguet Small Scale Miners Federation, had conducted a series of consultations with the pocket miners to urge the sector to apply for a “Minahang Bayan” permit to legalize their mining operations under the Small-Scale Mining Act.
Faye Apil, regional director of MGB-Cordillera, said earlier the agency is coming up with new guidelines on the implementation of the “Minahang Bayan”, relaxing some policies to allow those in the sector to get permits more easily. (Primo Agatep/PNA)