CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has given his full backing to a government plan to lift the ban on open-pit mining–but anchored on responsible and sustainable practices–given the exigency of creating new jobs and revitalizing rural economies as pillars of the government’s comprehensive post-pandemic recovery program.

Villafuerte expressed confidence that Environment and Natural Resources Sec. Roy Cimatu, under the guidance of the environmental activist President Duterte, would ensure that operators of open-pit mines would strictly adhere to the rules set out by the government for them to start or resume their countryside projects on the back of responsible mining and sustainable development practices.

“The mining industry has the resources and job-generating potentials to become a key driver of our post-pandemic economic recovery. Our largely untapped metals and minerals deposits could help power our way out of the pandemic-induced economic crisis. More importantly, responsible mining will create new jobs and spur economic growth outside Metro Manila,” Villafuerte said.

His statement of support for open-pit mining was in response to a report this week quoting Mines and Geosciences Bureau(MGB) Director Wilfredo Moncano as saying that the ban on this mining method would soon be lifted.

The interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) also held a meeting on June 9 to discuss the results of its review started in 2018 of metallic mining operations in the country.

Villafuerte noted that responsible mining also leads to other productive activities, such as investments in rural infrastructure and utilities, and the construction of schools and health facilities in its host-communities.

Bicol, Villafuerte’s home region, is host to some mining projects, such as those located in Albay and Masbate. His homeprovince, CamSur, is the site of a white clay mineral reservation.

Even the MICC, as early as 2017, had recommended lifting the ban on open-pit mining provided that laws and regulations governing this method of minerals extraction are strictly enforced by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Villafuerte pointed out.

Open-pit mining is a globally accepted method and is considered one of the safest and cost-effective way of developing mineral resources.

“I am confident that on the watch of the eco-friendly President Duterte, and with Secretary Cimatu at the helm of the DENR, mining operators will have to tow the line and strictly adhere to the rules set out by the government on mining operations, especially those involving open-pit mining,” Villafuerte said.

“If you recall, it was only during the time of President Duterte when a serious and comprehensive review of mining operations was done. It was as early as 2012 when the MICC was mandated to conduct an audit of mining operations in the country under Executive Order (EO) No. 79, but no one bothered to implement it except this administration,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte said the capital- and labor-intensive mining sector will provide the economic boost to provinces that continue to suffer from massive job losses arising from the malaise wrought by the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19) pandemic upon the global economy.

While he understands the concerns raised by environmentalist groups over mining operations, Villafuerte said their position should consider scientific facts and evidence that prove sustainable and responsible practices can and should be implemented in the industry.

“For instance, mining sites are usually located in remote, highly inaccessible areas that are not feasible for other business activities. These are usually barren areas unfit for planting any kind of crop. The only way we can carry out productive activities that will benefit people in the form of more jobs and livelihood opportunities, not to mention other improvement in their communities, is through mining,” Villafuerte said.

“It would be highly irresponsible for policy makers and civil society to just let rural folk remain jobless and continue to go hungry when there is one big opportunity for the government to end their suffering by developing our largely untapped mineral resources,” he added.

Last April, President Duterte issued EO 130 that lifted the nine-year moratorium on the issuance of new mining permits as part of the measures to boost state coffers amid the continuing huge expenditures for the government’s COVID-19 response and economic recovery programs.

According to reports quoting the MGB, more than a third of the Philippines’ total land area of 300,000 square kilometers (sq km) has been identified as having “high mineral potential,” but only less than 5 percent of the country’s mineral reserves are estimated to have been extracted so far.

The MGB has said that some P21 billion in revenue can be generated by some 100 mining projects in the pipeline.

South Cotabato, for one, is home to the largest known untapped deposits of copper and gold in Southeast Asia, but an open-pit mining ban in 2017 set back the efforts of Sagittarius Mines Inc (SMI) from developing the area in Tampakan where these minerals are located.

The Tampakan project has the potential to yield an average of 375,000 tons of copper and 360,000 ounces of gold in concentrate per annum over the proposed 17-year life of the mine, according to reports.

Before open-pit mining was banned, initial estimates placed SMI’s investments in the Tampakan project to reach about $5 billion, which was at that time billed to be the single biggest direct foreign investment in the country.

Villafuerte said the government is in the right track in pursuing “bold moves” such as reopening the mining industry, to turbo-boost the economy amid the pandemic.

He said business and consumer confidence cannot be restored until such time that the country reaches herd immunity and the economy is fully reopened.

“Thus, the government should come up with other ways of raising revenues. Reopening the mining industry and allowing the globally accepted and safe method of open pit mining will encourage big-time investors to come here and invest in far-flung, underdeveloped communities,” Villafuerte said.