Escudero urges due process in mines shutdown

MANILA, Philippines -  Sen. Francis Escudero has urged  the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to observe due process in its audit on the mining industry by allowing the affected parties to respond to the findings before coming out with orders to shut them down.

Interviewed over DWIZ radio, Escudero aired his concern over the reported irregularities in the conduct of the audit by the DENR, which have been disputed by the mining industry as a whole.

“They probably should have furnished the affected firms and even to the Senate the audit findings to see if there is basis to the closure orders,” Escudero said.

“It appears that the mining companies were not given a copy of the audit findings so that they could respond, correct, dispute or come up with remedies if necessary,” he added.

Escudero said this is all part of due process, a right which is guaranteed under the Philippine Constitution.

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines has cried foul over the closure orders issued by DENR Secretary Gina Lopez on 23 firms due to various violations.

Mining firms questioned the manner in which the audit was done, saying the results were compromised.

It was also revealed that the actual audit reports never came out, thus denying the affected firms the ability to respond.

“Due process dictates nothing less. It seems that the DENR fell short in this aspect if what the mining firms are saying are true,” Escudero said.

He observed the DENR, under Lopez, has targeted the mining firms with legitimate licenses to operate and not those that are operating illegally in the country.

“She could’ve started with the illegal operations before the legal ones who are trying to comply (with environment laws),” he said.