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PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY July 16 - 31, 2016
HEADLINE
Canadian companies support Duterte call
for responsible mining in the Philippines
International mining
companies, including those
in Canada, are waiting for
moves to be taken by the
Philippine government under
President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte’s
actions
may have a huge impact on
mineral exploration in the
Philippines.
After winning the last
election in May 2016, the
former Davao City mayor
said that mining companies
need to “shape up”.
The
tough-talking
politician also said that he
wants mining resources in
the Philippines to be owned
by Filipino companies, not
foreign firms.
Duterte also appointed
environmentalist
Regina
Lopez to head the country’s
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources.
Lopez is a known
anti-mining
advocate,
and has been involved in
quarrels with big mining
companies because of her
strong statements against
the industry.
The appointment of
Lopez as natural resources
and environment secretary
has reportedly alarmed
some players in the mining
industry in the Philippines.
According to the
Prospectors and Developers
Association
of
Canada
(PDAC), an industry group,
Canadian mining companies
in the Philippines are not
worried.
“PDAC
supports
responsible
mineral
exploration and mining
everywhere in the world,
including the Philippines
and the rest of Southeast
Asia,” said PDAC executive
director Andrew Cheatle in
a statement cited in a report
by the Vancouver Sun.
“Each
is expected
to observe the highest
environmental and social
responsibility standards. …
We fully support responsible
exploration and improved
regulatory processes in the
Philippines,” Cheatle also
said.
There are 10 Canadian
mining companies doing
business in the Philippines.
In the same report, the
Vancouver Sun quoted Dave
Forest, managing geologist
for the Pierce Points resourceindustry newsletter, saying
that Lopez’s views on openpit mining “horrific” evidence
that the Filipino minister has
taken one of the strongest
anti-mining stances ever by
a government official.
Lopez’s tenure at
the natural resources and
environment
department
could put the industry at risk,
Forest said in an analysis
cited by the paper.
“Strong anti-mining
sentiment seems to be
permeating all levels of
authority in the country,”
Forest wrote, adding that
foreign
mining
operations
may
soon face full-scale
reviews if violations
are
discovered.
“Here’s to knowing
when to fold ’em.”
A 1996 mine
disaster on the island
of Marinduque is
often
cited
as
one of the major
catalysts of antimining sentiment
in the Philippines.
The incident led to
a lawsuit against
t h e n -Va n c o u v e rbased Placer Dome.
According to the
Vancouver Sun, Placer Gold
was purchased by Barrick
Gold in 2006, and the
enterprise no longer operates
in the Philippines.
Cheatle said in the
report that Vancouver-based
B2Gold recently received
accreditation
as
fully
compliant with Philippines
regulations at its Masbate
mine.
“Canada is proudly
recognized as being the
global leader when it comes
to mineral exploration and
mining,”
Cheatle
said.
“PDAC has high expectations
for all its members to meet
any regulatory requirements
made of them.”
In the middle of his
presidential
campaign,
Duterte expressed support
for
mining,
provided
that
companies
follow
“responsible” mining.
According to Duterte,
mining companies should
follow the environmental
standards set by countries
like Australia and Canada, or
else, suffer sanctions.
After his election,
Duterte reiterated his position
about responsible mining.
Lopez
has been
quoted as saying there is no
such thing as responsible
mining.
“If there is responsible
mining why is it that wherever
there is mining, there is
poverty?” she said. “The
poorest sites in the country
are mining areas.”
Lopez had said in
the past that for mining to
be called responsible, “you
have to have the highest
standards,” referring to the
mining companies’ supposed
adherence to ISO 14001
Certification as a measure of
responsible mining.
In
one
of
her
interviews, Lopez said of
the Philippine Mining Act of
1995, it is “unfair” because
it is “skewed towards the
mining sector, and not
towards our people”.
“You cannot build an
economy, a company based
on suffering. I will not allow
it to happen in DENR,” she
said.
On her first day in
office, Lopez ordered an
audit of all mining companies
in the country, and has since
suspended at least four of
these.
Nannies warned against