After Philex mine reopens, issues linger


The biggest miner in the Philippines resumed operations at its premier mine after a spill 7 months ago shut down operations, but the bigger issues on how mining will operate in the country at the hands of a confused government remain.

Philex Mining resumed operations at its Padcal mine on the northern island of Luzon after being given the go-ahead by two government bureaus.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) had earlier given permission to resume business, but Philex had to wait for the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) to also give its go-ahead before opening shop.

That, in a nutshell, summarizes the excessive bureaucracy in the Philippines.

It should make all the sense in the world that there should only be one government body to make the decision on this. Having two is just plain inefficient.

Philex officials sounded all the right notes. “This is truly an indication of the government’s trust in us as a responsible mining company, to once again prove that we can continue working for economic progress while protecting the environment,” President and COO Eulalio Austin, Jr. said.

The government of President Benigno Aquino III continues to treat the mining industry like a leper because it is politically radioactive. The PAB is now requiring Philex to submit a monthly report to monitor how it is doing.


Why? Isn’t that the job of the MGB to begin with?


Can’t they go back with the MGB in half a year and review what has been done? Or is this just to make the PAB look like they are pro-active on the case?

Oh, Philex will turn in that report. But government being government, as long as there are no more problems at Padcal, the authorities will just as soon forget it. – Rappler.com
 

Note: Rene Pastor is with Philippine Commodities Digest, a weekly publication of New Jersey-based A & V Media that provides a comprehensive roundup of developments and trends in the country’s key farming and mining sectors. He is a freelance journalist who worked with the news agency Reuters for nearly 23 years. He graduated with a Masters degree in International Affairs from the New School in New York city and received a bachelor of arts in Communications from the Ateneo de Manila University. Rene is also a lecturer at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey.