“Always respect, conserve and use properly the bounty of mother
nature by being responsible all the time,” exhorted Gov. Wilhelmino M.
Sy-Alvarado, as he called on the small-scale miners to strictly comply
with existing environment laws and support the government’s
environment-protection programs during the recent Mining Summit. This
was jointly hosted by the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources
Office (BENRO), headed by Ely Apresto and the Mines and Geosciences
Bureau-Region 3 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) at the Hiyas ng Bulakan Convention Center here.
Small-Scale Mining (SSM), also known as “Minahang Bayan,” refers to
any single unit mining operation having an annual production of not more
than 50,000 tons of ore; artisanal, open cast, or shallow underground
mining, without the use of sophisticated mining equipment; heavy
reliance on manual labor, and the contracts with a duration of two years
renewable for the same period.
Alvarado said that teams from BENRO are strategically deployed in key
areas to ensure that environmental laws are strictly observed. A task
force also conducts regular inspection of mining areas to monitor
illegal mining practices.
During the summit, BENRO made a presentation on the implementation
of E.O. 79, which included, among others: Clarifying the areas closed
to mining applications; full enforcement of environmental standards;
review of the performance of existing mining operations and cleansing of
non-moving mining rights holders; freeze in grants of mineral
agreements pending new legislation on revenue sharing; and mining rights
through competitive public bidding.
It was also pointed out that a safety organization shall be headed by
safety inspector duly accredited by the appropriate government agency.
