Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) — Senator Leila de Lima has filed a resolution seeking a probe into the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) decision last month to lift the four-year-old ban on open pit mining.
In the proposed resolution, a copy of which was released to the media on Sunday, De Lima urged the Senate to assess the DENR’s move, which she described as “possibly catastrophic” to the environment and to human life.
“There is a need to conduct a thorough review of this policy decision as this can potentially open up the country once more to irresponsible mining practices which could further compromise the environment and pose health and safety risks to people and their communities,” the senator said.
Last Dec. 23, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu signed an administrative order allowing open pit mining for copper, gold, silver, and complex ores in the country. The department said this will help reinvigorate the mining industry and provide employment opportunities in rural areas amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But De Lima said the government must explore other ways to generate wealth, as she noted that the mining technique has caused a number of serious accidents in the country.
She recalled the Marcopper mining disaster in Marinduque in 1996, where the discharge of toxic mine waste from a fracture in the pit’s drainage tunnel led to the contamination of the Boac River and flash floods that displaced over 4,000 people.
To this day, the municipalities of Boac and Mogpog are still reeling from the environmental damage caused by the incident. De Lima added there had been at least five more mining disasters that followed, showing the country has “yet to figure out how to consistently extract mineral resources in a safe and efficient manner.”
“When gains and risks are placed on a scale, the State must always err on the side of caution,” she also said.
