Small-scale miners air hardship in getting big mining firms’ consent

By Lito Dar

BAGUIO CITY -- The government, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mines and Geo-science Bureau is now registering and legalizing small-scale mining operations in the country, which in 2010 alone accounts for the 62 percent of the country’s total gold production.

MGB-Cordillera Mines Environment and Safety Division Chief, Engineer ZardsGacad bared this in an interview, saying SSM operators have a hard time getting consent from mining companies that have jurisdiction over areas where several small-scale mining operate.

He said accomplishment of documentary requirement was necessary for registration and this is the main problem of small-scale mining operators.

This had been expressed during the regional Provincial/City Mining Regulatory Board summit held here at the MGB-regional conference hall, last week.

The MGB is currently conducting regional summit in parts of the country to come up with standard policy on application and processing of SSM permits.

Gacad said the issue cannot be addressed at the regional level and needed to be raised to the national level so possible solutions would be made for Congress to amend the governing mining law or for the Environment Secretary to issue a related administrative order.

According to Gacad, the issue not only affects SSM miners in the region but it is a nationwide concern.

In the Cordillera, there are about 10,000 or more small-scale miners affected by such concern.

Meantime, MGB national assistant director Elmer Billedo affirmed the big contribution of small-scale mining in the country’s mining industry.

Billedo said the government is serious in legalizing and harmonizing the operations of SSM in the country, as aside from ensuring environmental safety measures for such operations which is in line with the Aquino administration’s thrust of responsible mining, the country’s economy would also gain for such effort, as the country could avoid losses in illegal transactions of selling small-scale mining mineral produce.

According to Billedo, aside from what the government has accounted, the country is losing much from small-scale mining as some operators opt to sell their mineral produce, particularly gold, to black markets instead of selling it to the BangkoSentralngPilipinas.

Since their operations are not yet legally registered, it is also hard for the government to monitor such transaction, he said.