Davao town questions open-pit mining ban

MANILA, Philippines - The mayor of Kiblawan, Davao del Sur said they will continue to question the ongoing open-pit mining ban in nearby South Cotabato province, as her municipality will suffer economically if the ban stays in place.

“We are talking about an investment that promises to bring an economic push that we badly need; the open-pit ban puts everything in jeopardy,” Mayor Marivic Diamante said.

Kiblawan is a second-class municipality northeast of Tampakan, South Cotabato where the biggest copper-gold mining project is set to be constructed.

Kiblawan’s stake in the $5.9-billion Tampakan copper-gold project includes the construction of the mine’s largest infrastructure, including a concentrator, a fresh water dam, and a waste rock storage facility, that may result in potential multibillion-peso revenue in terms of property and operational taxes for the municipality.

The current provincial open-pit mining ban in South Cotabato threatens the Tampakan mining project and the future revenues for Kiblawan and the rest of the host municipalities of the proposed mining project.

“This is an economic impact that we will protect and we will fight for even if we have to go to the courts,” Diamante said.

According to Diamante, she has aligned with Tampakan Mayor Leonardo Escobillo, and Columbio, Sultan Kudarat Mayor Datu Amirh Musali as they sustain their opposition to the open-pit mining ban.

“In the meantime, we have agreed to exhaust all administrative means” Diamante said.

Diamante said the three host local government units of the Tampakan project have sent manifestations to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Malacañang, including signatures of their constituents signifying support for the mining project.

“But we are prepared to go to the courts; in the spirit of public-private sector partnership, we will fight for this investment,” Diamante said.

Diamante, a practicing lawyer, said, “The unconstitutionality of the South Cotabato provincial ban on open-pit mining is very clear in the face of an existing national law on mining (Philippine Mining Act of 1995).”

“We don’t want to unfairly burden a private sector investor who is willing to bring sustainable development to a remote municipality such as Kiblawan,” Diamante said.