Lawrence
Agcaoili (The Philippine Star) - January 6, 2018 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines —
The interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) has commissioned 25
experts to undertake the “fact-finding and science-based” review of the
operations of 26 mine sites which were suspended or ordered closed last year by
former environment secretary Regina Lopez.
Finance Undersecretary
Bayani Agabin said the experts would be divided into five technical review
teams (TRT) to reevaluate starting this month the operations of those mine
sites.
Agabin represented the
Department of Finance (DOF) at the yearend meeting of the MICC co-chaired by
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu
last month.
The body has tapped the
expertise of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) to implement and
manage the review of the suspended or closed mine sites.
Mercedita Sombilla, assistant secretary at the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA), said the review is aimed at coming up with
recommendations on mining-related methodologies and procedures to maximize the
benefits of mining and avoid damages.
She said it would also
help identify inefficiencies, violations or damages done by mining companies
that are difficult to address by the environment department alone.
Likewise, she said the
MICC would lay down the appropriate penalties to be imposed for such
inefficiencies, violations and damages done.
“The review teams
are also expected to recommend measures that need to be instituted to avoid the
recurrence of such inefficiencies/violations/ damages, and to improve mining
operations with a view to effectively safeguard the environment and protect the
rights of resource-dependent communities,” she said.
Sombilla said a list of
provisions in any laws, rules and regulations needed to be revised or amended
to improve mining operations and ensure the development of a responsible mining
sector, along with a framework, or set of standards and procedures to
institutionalize the conduct of review for the remaining existing operating
mines should also be covered by the study to be done by the review teams.
“The final report
will be a consolidated one. We will not see individual reports for each
of the mines. It’s going to be consolidated. It’s going to be general -- the
key results that will come out of the 26 mining sites,” she said.
Sombilla
said members of the review teams have been meeting as
early as November last years to finalize the mining review framework.
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