Value of mining stressed

Mining is not destructive to environment if sustainably managed. This was the essence of the lecture delivered by MGB-DENR Asst. Director Edwin Domingo and MGB Regional Director Leo Jasareno to participants in the Lecture Series entitled "What is Mining," conducted by DENR recently.

The lecture stressed that mineral industry can contribute to sustainable development as long as mineral resources development is undertaken with the primary purpose of maximizing environmental, economic and social benefits. Other than that, contributing to sustainable development necessitates that the benefits from the mineral resources are continuously reinvested into other sustainable undertakings and promotes public support services.

In the Philippines, the common perception has it that mining is not an environment-friendly industry. This perception continues to grow mainly due to the rising environmental awareness, and the consideration given to social acceptance of the communities in regard to establishing industries/projects on the land around them. People have valid reasons for this. The impact to environment brought about by mining particularly those resulting from the activities such as Marcopper Mining, and problems in Diwalwal keep reverberating in the people’s consciousness.

Notwithstanding these realities, mining will remain a vital and integral part of the country’s overall economic and societal agenda. Life is indeed, impossible without minerals. Communication equipment, household appliances, vehicles, farm implements, to name a few, came from minerals. A simple example being cited by MGB to highlight the importance of minerals is the composition of a light bulb. The bulb is made from silloa, trona (soda ash), lime, coal and salt; filament is usually made of tungsten; lead-in-wires is made of copper and nickel; tie and support wires and molybdenum wires; stem press or the wire in the glass are made of a combination of nickel-iron alloy core and a copper sleeve; fuse is made of nickel, manganese, copper and/or silicon alloys; button and button rod have the same component with bulb plus lead; head deflector is made of aluminum, and base is made of brass (copper and zinc) or aluminum.