Miners hail court ruling on open pit mining ban

MANILA, Philippines - The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) has expressed “great relief” over the granting of a preliminary injunction against an ordinance that would ban open pit mining in Zamboanga del Norte. 

According to COMP, the court clearly recognizes the excellent track record of TVI Resource Development (Phils.) Inc. (TVIRD) in protecting the environment and in advancing the interest of its host communities – a record that reflects the advocacy of COMP and all its member companies. 

The COMP said it hopes that the Zamboanga del Norte court order will convince provincial officials of South Cotabato to reconsider their position on a similar ordinance that will prevent their constituents from reaping the benefits of transforming minerals into wealth such as that being enjoyed by hundreds of employees and their families, as well as thousands of residents in host and impact communities of TVIRD. 

The mining industry is renewing its call for the National Government to act on harmonizing conflicting national and local laws that have now become irritating obstacles to President Aquino developmental agenda. 

For the local government units (LGUs) to fully appreciate responsible mining, the industry has recommended to the President’s Minerals Policy Group to allow mining firms to pay directly to LGUs their rightful share in mining taxes.

   Moreover, there is a compelling need for the Minerals Policy Group to recommend legal amendments so that the entire permitting process, regulation, control, and supervision of small-scale mining operations be given back to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) which has the technical competence to deal with environmental and risk-related issues on mining.