SETTLEMENT. Miner OceanaGold reluctantly paid taxes so it could proceed with the shipment of ores from this Didipio mine where open pit operations started last December 2012. Photo from media website of OceanaGold

MANILA, Philippines - After the lifting of a two-year moratorium, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) received only 152 mining exploration applications and accepted only 16 as of Tuesday, March 19.

MGB Director Leo Jasareno said the bureau rejected 95 applications and returned 41 for revisions. There are over 1,200 areas open for application.

Jasareno said most of the rejected applications were for tenements that lie in the so-called no-go zones or areas where mining activities are prohibited or limited. The others failed to submit complete requirements.

Those whose applications were returned must file a revised version within 3 days, otherwise their applications would be denied.

The bureau lifted the ban on acceptance and processing of new mining applications on Monday, March 18.

In January 2011, the Department of Envrionment and Natural Resources imposed a moratorium on new mining permits as part of a “cleansing” program to prevent the entry of speculators. These speculators do not develop their tenements and only use their permits to influence stock prices, the department said. - Rappler.com