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Friday, March 29, 2024

Govt to bomb open-pit mines still operating

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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte threatened to destroy with bombs open-pit mines should mining firms continue to defy a government ban on such mineral extraction process.

In September last year, Duterte agreed with the open-pit mining ban, given the environmental damage it causes, but would give mining firms time to find other ways to extract minerals.

In his speech before rebel returnees Wednesday in Malacanang, Duterte insisted there should be a ban even if it would result in lower government revenues, saying open-pit mining inflicted heavy damage on the environment.

“If some open pit mining will still be operating, I’ve instructed the Air Force to bomb it,” Duterte said.

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“The pits will be made even larger and when it explodes, everything will be buried along with it,” he said.

The President said he already told the Cabinet about his position against open-pit mining that had caused huge holes in some parts of the country.

He said he would no longer allow the environmental situation to worsen due to this destructive form of mining.

In a related development:

–Sen. Joel Villanueva filed a resolution calling for an inquiry regarding the disclosure of beneficial ownership of mining companies operating in the country.

Under Senate Resolution No. 612, Villanueva urged the Senate committee on public information and mass media to conduct an inquiry on the beneficial owners of extractive companies which include mining, oil, and gas. 

This is for transparency and compliance with foreign equity restriction to the Philippine Constitution and to ensure that Filipinos are really the ones benefitting from the extraction of these resources, he said.

A similar issue on foreign equity restriction emerged last month when the Securities and Exchange Commission revoked the corporate registration of Rappler for allegedly violating Constitutional restrictions on ownership and control of mass media entities.

Villanueva, through the said resolution, deemed it would also be wise to require disclosure of beneficial ownership of mining, oil, and gas companies which also have ownership restrictions under the law.

Villanueva proposes to implement a beneficial ownership registry which is a publicly available register of extractive entities that apply for, or hold a participating interest in, an exploration or production oil, gas or mining license or contract. 

The registry shall include the identities of their beneficial owner/s, the level of ownership and details about how ownership or control is exerted.

 “Through a beneficial ownership registry, our country’s extractive industry is poised to build trust, ensure accountability, improve investment climate, enhance revenue collection, and prevent corruption and illicit financial flows,” Villanueva explained.

The Philippines, known for its abundant minerals, oil, and gas reserves, is estimated to possess about 21.5 billion metric tons of metal deposits, considered as the highest in Southeast Asia. 

The country also has potential deposits of petroleum of about 8.9 billion barrel of oil equivalent (booe) or a total of about 1 million square kilometer.

“Disclosure of beneficial ownership of extractive companies operating in the country will peel off corporate layers to allow the examination of ownership among firms, understand the influence of companies or individuals, prevent corruption, and eventually create a level playing field among investors in accordance to our laws,” Villanueva said.

The President said he was thinking of lowering the tax for the mining companies but would ban the operation of open pit mining.

“I told them that I am not in favor of allowing the operations of open pit mining because it is destroying my nation,” he told the audience, including former New People’s Army rebels..

He said it was hurting to see the holes made by open-pit mining that resembled “fish ponds” and “bottle caps.”

“Everywhere you look, there are holes made by mining. When it rains, the holes will store the rain water. It will soften the soil and cause landslides,” he said.

“That is the state of our rural areas. It’s really not good,” he added.

Last year, Duterte rejected a recommendation by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) to lift the ban because such mining was “destroying the soil and environment and no corrective measure is immediately (being) implemented.”

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