(Suportado ng DOF) PAG-AALIS NG OPEN-PIT MINING BAN

NAGPAHAYAG ng suporta ang Department of Finance (DOF) sa pag-aalis ng ban sa open-mining dahil magbibigay-daan ito upang maging pangunahing tagapag-ambag ang industriya sa pagbangon ng ekonomiya.

Sa isang statement, sinabi ng DOF na magreresulta rin ito sa paglinang sa 11 nakabimbing proyekto na inaasahang makalilikom ng P11 billion na yearly government revenues, magpapataas sa annual exports ng P36 billion, at magkakaloob ng trabaho sa 22,880 katao.

Ayon kay Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, ang desisyon ay masusing tinalakay na may payo mula sa mga eksperto.

“As co-chair of the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), I support DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu’s decision to lift the ban on open-pit mining… Clearly, it will revive an industry that will create jobs and spur economic growth in the countryside,” ani Dominguez.

Magugunitang inalis ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ang four-year-old ban sa open-pit mining, na isang polisiya ay ipinatupad ni yumaong Environment Secretary Gina Lopez noong 2017.

Sa DENR Administrative Order No. 2021-40 na inisyu noong Disyembre 23, pinawalang-bisa ni Secretary Roy Cimatu ang Administrative Order No. 2017-10 ng kanyang predecessor na nagbabawal sa mining method para sa pagkuha ng copper, gold, silver, at/o complex ores sa bansa.

Sinabi ni Cimatu na, “lifting the ban on open-pit mining would revitalize the mining industry and usher in significant economic benefits to the country by providing raw materials for the construction and development of other industries and by increasing employment opportunities in rural areas where there are mining activities thereby stimulating countryside development.”

Aniya, ang open-pit mining method ay isang pamamaraan ng pagmimina na tinatanggap sa mundo, na itinuturing na “most feasible option for mining near-surface or shallow ore deposits.”

Ipinaliwanag naman ni Dominguez na maaaring mapigilan ang mga isyu na may kinalaman sa mining operations sa pamamagitan ng mahigpit na monitoring at regulation.

“Adequate safeguards can be implemented to ensure the safety of this mining method. Strict monitoring and enforcement to ensure compliance with environmental standards shall be undertaken to prevent any abuse in the implementation of this type of mining activity,” dagdag ni Domniguez.