MANILA — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has yet to decide the fate of the 26 mining companies ordered closed by former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez.
This was stressed by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu in an interview by journalists after a meeting of the inter-agency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), which he co-chaired with Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Thursday.
During the meeting, the final results of a review conducted by Technical Working Groups (TWGs) on the operations of concerned mining firms were presented.
Cimatu said it is still premature to render a decision because they will still compare this with the result of a previous study. He said they “will be relying heavily on their report” and will announce the decision “as soon as possible.”
Asked whether the results of the review and the final decision will be presented to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Cimatu said this will be up to the MICC members.
Meanwhile, Cimatu said the DENR has yet to come up with a formal order banning open pit mining, saying this is “still a work in progress”. He added that “the one that will give a decision on this is the President.”
President Rodrigo Duterte, in his third State of the Nation Address last July, warned that “restrictive policies” will be implemented for the mining sector to protect the environment and the country’s resources.
Cimatu said he already met with stakeholders and has asked for an alternative to open pit mining and on how to assist communities around mining areas.
“So this is the combination of extracting mineral without using open pit mining and at the same time improving the livelihood of the community around the mining site,” he added. (Joann Villanueva/PNA)
