Investments to make mining safer continues to increase

MANILA, Philippines — Mining firms have invested billions of pesos to ensure responsible mining practices in the country, the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) said.

According to PMSEA, mining firms spent a lot on technology and world-class designs that could help them mitigate the risks in their operations.

“Because of the technology, experience, and how mine sites are now being designed, companies now know how to mitigate the risks such as landslide and flooding in their operations. They are really spending a lot. Miners are now very much capable of ensuring the safety within the industry,” PMSEA president Louie Sarmiento said.

The group continues to call for miners to step up their operations by tapping the right technology and improving their designs to beyond comply even with global mining standards and guidelines.

“In spite of the challenges on the industry, and we are not a perfect industry, we are focused and committed to not only advocate responsible mining but to practice it on the ground,” Sarmiento said.

Furthermore, PMSEA noted that local firms have already gained knowledge and expertise in dealing with potential risks of the controversial open-pit mining method to extract minerals in the country.

“The companies that are responsible, they know when to stop their operations when an incident happens. They sit down with their safety committee together with representatives from the local government unit and the community. For a responsible mining company, when you say self-regulation, even before the regulator comes in they already know what to do,” Sarmiento said.