Philex: 60 years of responsible mining

The country’s biggest gold producer, Philex Mining Corp., marked its 60th year in the industry through a celebration recently held at the Makati Shangri-La.

Over the years, Philex has been at the forefront of responsible mining in the country, having received numerous awards on environmental protection and mine safety. Proof that it complies with the highest global standards in its practices is its Integrated Management Systems certification from Germany-based TUV Rheinland consisting of ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications.

Even the wholly-owned subsidiary of Philex Mining, the Silangan Mindanao Mining Corp., was awarded an ISO certification last June for its pre-mining development activities, making it the first company to obtain the ISO 14001 certification even before starting its operations.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the company happened in August 2012 when unusually heavy monsoon rains triggered a leakage in one of its mine tailings ponds — to which the company, led by its chairman Manny Pangilinan, immediately responded by voluntarily suspending operations. It cost Philex billions to conduct rehabilitation including a P1-billion fine imposed by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

It took a while, but when the government regulator gave the green light for Philex to resume its operations, it noted the company’s compliance with its environmental obligations and the immediate conduct of remediation measures following the incident.

According to Philex SVP for public and regulatory affairs Mike Toledo, the company continues to live the tradition of responsible mining, setting benchmarks that inspire other companies in the industry.

As one would put it, Philex Mining is, indeed, “good as gold.”