DENR urged to involve LGUs in crackdown vs bad miners

MANILA, Philippines – The province of Agusan del Norte has called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to involve local government units (LGUs) in the government’s ongoing purge on irresponsible mining in the country.

Agusan del Norte Governor Angel Amante-Matba said LGUs in mining host communities should take the lead in monitoring and ensuring responsible mining operations, protecting the environment and the community, and preserving natural resources.

“In line with the move towards greater decentralization and federalism, local governments should have more say on whether mining companies can stay or must go,” Amante-Matba said.

She said the ongoing audit on all mining operations should consider the sentiments of LGUs and not preclude them from booting out erring mining companies.

Agusan del Norte belongs to the CARAGA region, which is home to several mining operations in Mindanao.

Amante-Matba said the involved provinces should not compromise on environmental protection and support mining operations that only serve as good examples of responsible mining through their practices.

“We always monitor and make sure that tailings and other residues from mining operations in our province don’t affect the environment and the biodiversity of the province. We will never allow the indiscriminate destruction of our environment and our community,” she said.

The governor also defended mining operations in the province, saying the community has benefitted through job creation and various business opportunities.

“If you say that mining does not contribute, I don’t know where that’s coming from. You don’t just look at the number of people employed, you also have to look at the multiplier effect,” she said.

She also urged the DENR to be fair with small- and large-scale miners that are compliant with all government requirements and standards both for mining processes and environmental management.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) earlier said responsible mining firms had nothing to fear from the ongoing audit if they were responsible miners.

The audit of around 40 mining firms started last month and is on track to be completed by the end of the month.