A lawmaker on Sunday backed a government plan to lift the ban on open-pit mining that is anchored on responsible and sustainable practices, given the need to create new jobs and revitalize rural economies as pillars of the government’s comprehensive post-pandemic recovery program.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte said he is hoping Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, “under the guidance of the environmental activist President Rodrigo Duterte,” would ensure that operators of open-pit mines would strictly adhere to the rules set out by the government for them to start or resume their countryside projects on the back of responsible mining and sustainable development practices.
“The mining industry has the resources and job-generating potential to become a key driver of our post-pandemic economic recovery. Our largely untapped metals and minerals deposits could help power our way out of the pandemic-induced economic crisis. More importantly, responsible mining will create new jobs and spur economic growth outside Metro Manila,” Villafuerte noted.
He reacted to a report quoting Mines and Geosciences Bureau director Wilfredo Moncano as saying that the ban on open-pit mining would soon be lifted.
The interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council also held a meeting last June 9 to discuss the results of its review starting in 2018 of metallic mining operations in the country.
The CamSur lawmaker said responsible mining also leads to other productive activities, such as investments in rural infrastructure and utilities and the construction of schools and health facilities in its host-communities.
He said Bicol, his home region, hosts mining projects such as those located in Albay and Masbate, while his home province is the site of a white clay mineral reservation.