Published June 1, 2020, 10:00 PM By Madelaine B.
Miraflor
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau
(MGB) has revealed what a “new normal” would be like for the mining sector and
it would include strict quarantine protocols for all minerals shipments as well
as setting up of disinfection areas in cargo vessels.
In memorandum 004, MGB had set the
guidelines for the resumption of mining and mineral processing operations
during the general community quarantine (GCQ) period.
This is in line with the Omnibus
Guidelines for the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines,
dated April 29, 2020, of the country’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the
Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), which allows min¬ing under
GCQ.
President Rodrigo Duterte only
placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under GCQ starting today (June 1), but
the government already eased the lockdown protocols in some provinces as early
as the third week of May.
MGB said that its “guidelines cover
all measures to ensure the safety and health of the people who will return to
the mining workforce during the pandemic.”
In terms of shipment, cargo vessels
must observe 14-day quarantine starting from their departure at the last port
of call.
Upon arrival of the vessel and
completion of the 14 days, it shall be boarded at the designated quarantine
anchorage area for quarantine clearance pursuant to the guidelines set by the
Bureau of Quarantine of the Department of Health.
Quarantine inspection shall be
strictly observed and only upon clearance from the Quarantine Medical Officer.
Holding and disinfection area shall
likewise be established to cater for stevedoring agents and mining company
representatives who shall board and disembark from the vessel.
For the purpose of transporting
minerals and their by-products, miners should also provide, during the field
validation of at least once a month by the MGB’s Regional Office, information
such as validity of the pertinent mining permit and contract, grade, source of
the minerals, estimated volume and the value of the said mineral commodity.
Miners are also expected to provide
in its shipment report additional information such as crew list, port of
origin, and COVID-19 test results of the crew.
And then, they are required to
submit the shipment monitoring/ draft survey report that includes pertinent
shipment documents, pictures with geotag and dated video recording of the first
and the last day of the said shipment.
MGB also ordered mining companies to
provide the necessary medical equipment, and supplies and materials such as
thermal scanners, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves
and sanitizers and disinfectants to their employees.
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