IN PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s latest SONA, the environment was at the forefront. I think this is the first ever SONA that a strongly worded policy on environmental protection was mentioned. The President’s exact words were: “My policy in the utilization of these resources is non-negotiable: the protection of the environment must be top priority and extracted resources must be used for the benefit of the Filipino people, not just a select few."
He specifically mentioned the mining industry when he said: “To the mining industry, I say this once again and maybe for the last time, do not destroy the environment or compromise our resources; repair what you have mismanaged.” He told them to change management radically because there will be restrictive policies like the prohibition of open pit mining.
Actually, as early as June, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu was already hinting on the tightening of rules for mining. During a Philippine Mining Club Luncheon gathering, he said that open pit mining companies are in danger of being shut down unless they shift to acceptable alternative methods by the end of the year. Sec. Cimatu urged mining companies involved in open pit operations to form a working group to craft alternative methods they can use for their operations.
It will be recalled that in April last year, then DENR Secretary Gina Lopez issued Administrative Order No. 2017-10, an order banning the open pit method of mining for copper, gold, silver and complex ores in the country. Few months after, the interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) recommended the lifting of the ban provided that mining laws, rules and regulations are strictly enforced. To this day however, President Duterte has not lifted the ban.
What is open pit mining and why is it being branded as destructive? As its name indicates, open pit mining is a method of extracting rock or minerals from open pits, like quarries and burrows. This ancient form of mining requires no tunneling and is utilized when substances are fairly close to the surface. Underground mining on the other hand is generally used for areas where the mineral seam is too far underground for open cut mining to be of use.
In open pit mining, the area is cleared of all topsoil and vegetation. That means cutting down all trees in the mining site. According to a write up from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (www.mit.edu), environmental hazards are present during every step of the open-pit mining process. Hardrock mining exposes rock that has lain unexposed for geological eras. When crushed, these rocks expose radioactive elements, asbestos-like minerals, and metallic dust. During separation, residual rock slurries, which are mixtures of pulverized rock and liquid, are produced as tailings, toxic and radioactive elements from these liquids can leak into bedrock if not properly contained.
I’m sure that there are examples from around the world on how open pit mines were properly managed and rehabilitated after operation. It is a big challenge to the mining industry to prove that mining can be done in a way that will not harm, or will have minimal impact, to the environment.