Mineral resources industry takes steps to refurbish image

Leaders of the mineral resources industry plan to embark on an intensive information campaign to create greater public awareness and appreciation of their industry’s contribution to the nation’s economy.

In an informal roundtable discussion the other day, officials of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, the government’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau and other mining organizations, expressed their collective sentiment that the industry, long suffering from huge losses and a dearth of investments, has been further battered by the negative perception of the public due to the 1996 spillage incident at the Marcopper mine site in Marinduque.

They lamented that since the accident figured prominently in the news, some extremist non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and even policy makers have capitalized on the issue and actively pursued their anti-mining advocacy campaign. Accordingly, the general public has been made to believe that mining poses a grave threat to the environment.

The officials explained that the incident was an isolated case and has now been thoroughly contained, but unfortunately, without the public knowing much about it. "It’s like what happened to the Laoag Air plane crash. It does not mean that other airline companies should also take the blame," they said.

Last September, a multi-sectoral group of NGOs banded together in launching a nationwide campaign to put a stop to all mining activities and exploration, scrap the 1995 Mining Act, and let government take over mining operations.

However, the mining executives remained confident that the anti-mining lobby would not prosper even at the grassroots level as they noted an outpouring of support for the industry by a wide cross section of society – from laborers and workers unions to banks and financial institutions, as well as government agencies and international organizations.

The CMP, for one, has led a 13-member strong coalition which challenged the industry’s detractors to come up with a responsible plan of action that would uplift, rather than inflict more damage to the already deteriorating state of mineral exploration in the country.

Aside from CMP, those in the coalition also include associations of mining, metallurgical and geological engineers, mine safety and environment, marble and non-metallic producers, mineral exploration, research and development.

The counter-campaign is also being supported by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and worker groups belonging to the National Mines and Allied Workers Union and the APSOTEU-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.

A World Bank study early this year cited that the reactivation of mineral exporting would greatly diversify the country’s dollar-earning capability and bring back the industry’s luster to attract foreign investments.

With five world-class metallic mines occupying about 5,000 hectares or barely 0.017 percent of the entire Philippine land area, the mining sector contributes $2 billion annually to export revenues; P20 billion in taxes and around 300,000 in direct and indirect employment.