DENR suspends small-scale mining in Cordillera region
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:42 p.m.) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Monday ordered the suspension of operations of small-scale mining in the Cordillera region following a typhoon-induced landslide that left dozens of people dead.
"In the whole of CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region), the (mining) operations are suspended," Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said in comments during a post-disaster briefing in Benguet that he has since clarified only covers small-scale miners.
Cimatu gave the order after scores of miners are feared dead due to landslides triggered by Typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut).
"I officially order the cease and desist of all illegal small-scale mining in Cordillera region," Cimatu also said.
The agency will send armed personnel to implement the cease-and-desist order against the illegal small-scale mining activities.
According to the People's Small-scale Mining Act of 1991, small-scale mining, sometimes also called artisanal mining, is mining that relies "heavily on manual labor using simple implements and methods and do not use explosives or heavy mining equipment."
Small-scale miners can form cooperatives, which need to be registered with the government.
According to a 2017 report by the regional office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, there are four large-scale mining operations in the region: Philex Mining Corp., Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company, Itogon Suyoc Resources and Benguet Corp.
Benguet Corp. has operations "through the small-scale miners as service contractors on a 60-40 percent sharing, where Benguet Corporation gets 40 percent and the service contractors get 60 percent."
All four firms operate in Benguet.
Closure to be done 'in phases'
Cimatu also said he cancelling all temporary permits granted to small-scale mining companies in CAR “effective today.”
The secretary said the closure of small-scale mining will be done in phases.
“The first phase is to stop [this illegal mining]. The second stage will be to relocate them (small-scale miners) out of those very dangerous areas,” he said.
Search and retrieval operations are underway for missing miners who may have been buried at a mining shelter in Barangay Ucab in Itogon, Benguet during the onslaught of “Ompong” over the weekend.
Thirty-four individuals have died in Itogon, Benguet, presidential spokesperson said in a press briefing Monday. Forty-two people are still missing.
In an interview with Associated Press, Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said that dozens of people, mostly miners and their families, rushed into an old-three story building in the village of Ucab at the height of the typhoon’s onslaught Saturday afternoon.
The building, a former mining bunkhouse that had been turned into a chapel, was obliterated when part of a mountain slope collapsed.
Cimatu called the incident a “wake-up” call. — with Alexis Romero
(Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported Cimatu saying "In the whole of CAR [Cordillera Administrative Region], the [mining] operations are suspended". Although he did say that, he has since clarified that large-scale mining is not included in the suspension. The story has been updated to reflect the clarification.)
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