Lopez questions award for miners facing suspension

Posted on November 17, 2016
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=lopez-questions-award-for-miners-facing-suspension&id=136489

THE Environment secretary said the nomination for environmental awards of miners her department recommended for suspension reflects the lax criteria in use for the awards.

Referring to nominations for the Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Award (PMIEA), Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez said in a text message: “The criteria for the awards are very different. For instance, whether or not there is siltation is not a factor in the awards; having an abandoned open pit for over 20 years is not a disqualification.”

“(The award body) does not go down to the issues, down to the lowly farmer. It just talks to the mining staff and to whoever are presented by the mine,” she added, noting the absence of “legitimate” civil society organizations’ role in selection.

Miners nominated for the award which the audit identified for possible suspension are Marcventures Mining and Development Corp., Agata Mining Ventures, Inc., Hinatuan Mining Corporation -- Taganaan, OceanaGold (Philippines), Inc., and SR Metals, Inc. -- all for the Surface Mining Operation category. All but Marcventures are also nominated for the implementation of their Mining Forest Programs.

The nationwide crackdown against miners with substandard environmental measures placed more than three quarters of the country’s metal mines either facing suspension or under threat of such order.

The PMIEA is established through Executive Order 399 to recognize miners’ exemplary performance in environmental management, safety and health, and social development.

Awardees are evaluated by an eight-member selection committee composed of the government and the private sectors and chaired by the DENR Secretary.

However, asked if Ms. Lopez, as co-chair for the selection committee, approved of the candidates, Engineer Louie R. Sarmiento, president of the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) said in a mobile message: “We tried to seek an audience but she has not responded.”

Sought for comment, Francis G. Ballesteros, Jr., head of Public and Regulatory Affairs at Philex Mining Corp. which is one of the 11 miners that passed the audit and one of the 23 PMIEA nominees, said that the DENR chief has the power to alter the guidelines for the selection.

“[She] can look into the awards and make changes if she wants to, being the DENR secretary and all, but until then, the more prudent thing to do would be to see these awards as adjudged by experts as competent and cognizant of those deserving recognition in the industry,” Mr. Ballesteros said in a text message on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP), in a statement released Friday, said that PMIEA has “stringent requirements” that include full compliance with environmental policies; establishment of a contingent liability Fund; an approved Social Management and Development Program; a zero fatal accident standard for the coverage period; and no significant damage to lives and properties as a result of mining operations.

“These awardees are leading examples of responsible mining in the country and the world. Despite the challenges that continue to hound the minerals industry, there remain companies which are fully committed to protecting the environment, bettering the communities and the country,” Nelia T. Halcon, CoMP executive vice-president, said in the statement. -- Janina C. Lim