Mining council pursues higher taxes, struggles on no-go areas

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

The current draft reflects an agreement among mining council members to pursue legislation that will impose higher taxes, tighten regulation on small scale miners, but struggle in finalizing the no-go areas

MANILA, Philippines – Over two months after President Aquino signed Executive Order 79, which spells out the mining policy of the government, the body tasked to draft the order’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) is expected to release the second draft in September.

In an interview over radio DWIZ on August 25, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Director Leo Jasareno said the current draft reflects an agreement among members of the mining council to pursue legislation that will impose higher taxes on mining players, as well as the tighter regulation of small scale miners.

However, he said mining ban on “no-go” areas, which include prime agricultural lands and island ecosystems, is yet to be finalized since they still need to identify these areas. The no-go areas are a crucial aspect of the EO-79 to address environmental and social issues that hound the industry.

“We are currently mapping these areas. There should be boundaries for these,” said Jasareno.

Island ecosystems

He said while the Department of Agriculture can easily identify the prime agricultural lands, the council is having difficulty defining the scope of island ecosystems.

“We admit that it is hard to define [island ecosystems]. We will have a meeting on this again and the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) is expected to give a clear definition,” said Jasareno.

“In my opinion, these are small islands that are rich in biodiversity and mineral deposits which should not be mined,” he said.

He cited the island ecosystems of Sibuyan Island in Romblon, which has nickel deposits.

In 2011, the DENR cancelled the exploration permit given to Altai Philippine Mining Corp. to explore the island’s mineral reserves after its mayor warned that it would disrupt the island’s biodiversity.

The MGB issued a cease-and-decease order against the firm that was given permit to explore for nickel deposits in 1,580 hectares at the foot of Mt. Guiting-Guiting. The permit was signed by former Environment Secretary Lito Atienza in Dec. 23, 2009.

Jasareno said it would probably take 3 months to identify areas which will be closed to mining activities.

Implementing rules

The mining industry coordinating council (MICC) has agreed to tighten regulation of small scale miners under the government–designated Minahang Bayan areas so the government can effectively monitor their activities and collect the proper taxes.

He said that the mining industry coordinating council (MICC) has finished the second draft of the IRR, which is now awaiting the signature of Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.

After Paje gives his go-signal, further consultations with the mining industry stakeholders, small scale miners, non-government organizations and local government units (LGUS) will be conducted to reconcile differences.

“The principle is to listen to them and reach a middle ground. We are implementing an open-minded approach. We will consider what can be included in the IRR,” said Jasareno.

The MICC is the body created to formulate the IRR for Executive Order No. 79, also known as the new mining policy.

The second draft IRR of EO-79 is expected to be out by the second week of September, according to the MGB chief. – Rappler.com

For the existing mining contracts in the Philippines, view this #WhyMining map.

How does mining affect you? Are you pro or against mining? Engage, discuss & take a stand! Visit Rappler’s #WhyMining microsite for the latest stories on issues affecting the mining sector. Join the conversation by emailing whymining@rappler.com your views on the issue.

For other views on mining, read:

Yes to Mining No to Mining

More on #WhyMining:



Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!