MICC to convene next week to discuss open-pit mine ban study

Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) is set to convene next week to discuss the study being conducted by its technical working group (TWG) on the possible lifting of open-pit mine ban that was put in place by former Environment Secretary Regina Paz Lopez.

Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Assistant Director Danilo Uykieng said in an interview that the TWG of MICC will have a meeting next week to particularly talk about the openpit mine ban.

This, according to him, will be followed by another meeting in October wherein MGB will present to MICC the petitions made by some mining companies against the said ban.

According to MGB, some of the companies who formally made their appeal against the ban include Silangan Mindanao Mining Co., Inc, Philex Mining Corp., Filminera Resources, Corp., Sagittarius Mines, Inc., and Kingking Mining Corp.

To recall, some miners recently came forward to address the increasing negative public perception on the open-pit mining method.

This, as Lopez resurfaced to oppose the lifting of the open-pit mine ban that she imposed herself.

At the Mining Philippines 2017 International Conference and Exhibition, Claro Jose C. Manipon, Senior Geology Manager at Silangan Mindanao and Mining Company, Inc., admitted that there is indeed "an increasing negative public perception on open-pit mining."

Because of this, among other issues, Rolando V. Cuaño, president of BMP Environment & Community Care, Inc., said the sector could no longer operate as "business as usual."

"These are abnormal times for the Philippine mining industry," Cuaño said. "(Miners should)take a clear, objective hard look at the issues. Positive findings should be enhanced and the negative ones must be avoided or mitigated with firm resolve, consistent, and enduring."

Open-pit mining is an internationally accepted method for mining where you extract minerals from the surface.

Before she left the DENR, Lopez placed a ban on the use of the open-pit method of mining for the extraction of copper, gold, silver and complex ores in the country.

It is now up to the MICC whether the country's controversial ban on open-pit mine should be kept or not.

On the long delayed MICC-led review on the country's mining operations, Uykieng said the organization is targeting to start it on October.

"We have shortlisted the technical team who will conduct the review. Once we hired the consultants, that's when the review will start. We are targeting to start the review in October so it will end in December," Uykieng said.