If it were up to him, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would “close all mining” on the heels of deadly landslides in Benguet during the onslaught of Typhoon “Ompong.”
“If I were to try to do my thing, I will close all mining in the Philippines,” the President said in a situation briefing in La Trinidad Monday evening.
He said Congress should “abrogate” the Mining Law as he apologized to Benguet Gov. Crescencio Pacalso for the high death toll in the province, in particular in the mining town of Itogon.
“Mining has really contributed a lot of heartaches for the Filipino people. It is time for us, particularly the DENR, to take a second look, seriously now, regarding the dangers of open-pit mining,” the President said, adding that the sector’s contribution to the economy is outweighed by the environmental damage it causes.
“Never mind the P70 billion [revenues]. But of course, the [Department of Finance] people will object,” Duterte added.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu earlier ordered a stop to all small-scale mining in the Cordillera region.
