New Philippine mining minister hits out at open pit ‘madness’
Incoming president Rodrigo Duterte has also warned of cancelling mining projects that are damaging the environment
The incoming minister in charge of Philippine mining has slammed the use of open pits to extract minerals, describing it as “madness” even to consider the method in the resource-rich country because of the environmental impact.
The stance by Regina Lopez, an environmentalist who on Tuesday accepted President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s offer to head the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, could set her on a collision course with the mining industry.
We must stop killing our future for the interests of a few
“Open-pit mining as in the use of explosives is horrific for the environment. It’s a cheap way to extract. And for the top most country vulnerable to climate change it’s madness to even consider it,” Lopez said. “We must stop killing our future for the interests of a few.”
News of Lopez’ appointment sent Philippine mining stocks tumbling.
The Philippines sits on mineral reserves worth US$1.4 trillion, but mining accounts for less than 1 per cent of GDP, as policy bottlenecks and an anti-mining lobby led by the Roman Catholic Church hamper development.
The biggest stalled venture is the US$5.9 billion gold-copper Tampakan project on Mindanao island.
Glencore last year quit the project which has failed to take off after the province where Tampakan is located banned open-pit mining in 2010. The Philippines’ mining law allows open-pit mining.