Mining moratorium still in force: DENR

Saturday, October 22, 2011

THE Environment and Natural Resources clarified that the moratorium on the issuance of new mining tenements remains in force until such time that planned reforms in the mining sector are put in place.

?€œWe have not lifted the moratorium on the processing and issuance of new mining permits?€?as we are committed to address first the increasing concerns aired by various sectors, including local government units, on the environmental and social impacts of mining,?€ DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje stressed in an advisory.

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He explained that the 10 exploration permits issued by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau last October 6 ?€œare not new mining permits but renewal of exploration permits issued earlier prior to the imposition of the mining moratorium.?€

MGB regional directors have been directed to cleanse their respective areas of all pending and inactive mining applications this year and were given two deadlines: the first one last February 20 for the first 50% and on December 2011 for the remaining 50%.

While the cleansing is ongoing, a moratorium on the approval of new mining applications was also ordered.

?€œWe have to decide once and for all on what to do with all of these mining applications long pending in our regional offices, otherwise the public will continue to perceive us as inefficient and corrupt,?€ Paje said in an earlier Sun.Star report.

?€œWe are now moving towards enhancing our implementation of the ?€˜use it or lose it policy?€™ where we will be cancelling not only mining applications that are unable to comply with the requirements set by the government but also mining tenements that have remained inactive and unproductive for a long time,?€ he added. (CGC)

Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on October 22, 2011.

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