The Philippine Nickel Industry Association asked the government to consider setting up “one-stop shop” for the mining sector to fast track the approval of mining permits.
PNIA president Atty. Dante Bravo said in a statement the concept of “one-stop shop” program, created for growth industries, could also be implemented in the mining sector to promote predictability in regulations and ease of doing business.
“Mining is capital intensive in every stage of the operation’s life cycle from exploration to extraction, to value added processing. While there is a lot of interest in the Philippines as a mining investment destination, we need to convince investors that the business environment is ready and conducive for their entry to the Philippines,” said Bravo.
Bravo said while the government is focused on attracting investors in value-added processing, industry development efforts should include mining exploration and extraction because a nickel processing plant requires more than 100 million tons of raw nickel ore for at least 20 years to be considered viable.
“We can’t push for value added processing without mitigating uncertainties in minerals exploration and extraction because all of these are integral parts of the minerals development value chain. To produce the minimum raw ore input requirement of one processing plant, mining permits need to be approved efficiently and awarded contracts should be allowed to operate with minimal disruption under a predictable, rules-based regulatory regime,” said Bravo
PNIA said it is reviving its offer to draft industry blueprint in partnership with the government to boost the competitiveness of the nickel sector.
“Having an industry blueprint will help sustain interest and boost investor confidence as it signifies clear direction and commitment in the execution of policies and programs needed to promote the growth of the nickel sector and to make it globally competitive,” PNIA chairman Antonio Co said.
Co said the nickel industry blueprint should provide credible data on the economic potentials of the Philippines nickel reserves, define where the Philippines should play in the global nickel production and processing trade, provide prescriptions on how to address complex policy and regulation issues that are triggering uncertainties and unpredictabilities and establish the timeline of the industry development effort.