ENVIRONMENT Secretary-designate Regina Paz "Gina" Lopez on Thursday asked the Commission on Appointments to give her two years to bring about a "green" economy in mining-affected areas even as she staunchly defended her decision to shutter 23 mining operations and cancel 75 mining contracts.
"We need to make the right choices. We're killing our rivers and streams and putting our communities at risk, but where is the money going?" Lopez argued during the resumption of her confirmation hearing Thursday morning.
"Life is all about choices. Why can't we try to engineer another reality where everyone benefits? I'm only asking for two years," she added.
She said 82 percent of the estimated P35-billion annual net income from mining goes to the mining companies and 95 percent goes out of the local economy while the community bears the health cost and environmental damage. Even the government is not getting enough taxes from the mining sector, she added.
Lopez also reiterated her commitment to clean up DENR, which she said has "failed miserably in its regulatory functions" with the issuance of environmental permits even in critical watersheds.
"It's a sad reality that any regulatory agency is a seabed of corruption. They sell the permit. (This is happening) not only in DENR, but also in BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) and (Bureau of) Customs. My commitment is to rectify this," she said.
"Should there be any evidence of corruption, if they (DENR personnel) have been remiss of their function, then they have no place in an organization that (is mandated) to take care of God's creation for the common good," she added.
Lopez's appointment as Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary is facing stiff opposition from the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines and various groups, which have questioned her qualifications, her actions in the past eight months and even her choice of staff.
Ronald Recidoro, vice president for legal and policy of the Chamber of Mines, said Lopez has "shown herself unfit and unqualified" as DENR secretary.
Quoting the chamber's position paper against Lopez, Recidoro said Lopez bypassed legal and administrative processes with the mining audit review, which led to the issuance of show-cause orders to the mining companies.
Copies of the mining audit review have yet to reach the chamber despite their repeated requests, Recidoro added.
He argued that if the mining companies committed violations, as alleged in the mining audit review, complaints should have been filed against them before the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) instead of ordering the shutdown of the mines.
The chamber has warned that the shutdown of 23 out of the 41 operational mine sites in the country would displace around 1.2 million people.
"If she (Lopez) can not implement the Mining Act, she should not be confirmed as (DENR) secretary," Recidoro said.
Lopez, for her part, said the mining audit report listed all the violations, each backed by a law, that the mining companies committed.
She said due process was followed - notices of violation and show-cause orders were issued and mining companies were allowed to reply. Lopez reiterated that the mining companies are free to examine the audit report.
She also stressed that her commitment, as Environment secretary, is to achieve social justice.
"Why is Caraga, which is the mining capital of the country, one of the poorest regions in the country?" she asked.
Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, however, refuted this. Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Zubiri said Caraga is among the fastest-growing regions. Generally, he said mining areas are not among the top 10 poorest provinces in the country.
PSA reported in July 2016, however, that Caraga was among nine regions that posted decelerated growth rates in 2015. Caraga's economic growth slowed down to 4.2 percent in 2015 from 9.4 percent in 2014.
Prior to her appointment as DENR secretary, Lopez was the managing director of the ABS-CBN Foundation and chairperson of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission under the Benigno Aquino III administration. She also launched the "Save Palawan Movement." (SunStar Philippines)
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