Revise mining law, gov’t urged

The oldest business chamber in the Philippines has called for the revision of the mining law, asking for new guidelines that will require the mining sector to focus first on manufacturing finished goods before exporting raw materials.

There should be a paradigm shift, says the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI), in the way firms approach mining projects in the country.

“The law should now be that the mines of the Philippines would only be given to end-producers,” CCPI President Jose Luis U. Yulo Jr. told reporters last week.

Revising the decades-old law, he said, will force the companies to sustain the development of their mining areas since failure to do so will mean “not only closing down the mine, but also closing the factory that makes the end products.”

The chamber’s recommendation comes amid an ongoing crisis within the mining sector, where other business groups have demanded for due process following the ordered shut down and suspension of 28 mining firms across the country.

The Philippine Mining Act of 1995 outlines guidelines for the processing of minerals, but does not require firms to process the raw materials in order to do a mining project, he noted.

The revision, Yulo said, should instead require mining firms to consume the raw materials they extract through manufacturing before exporting a portion to countries that do not have the end-products.

Apart from an added incentive to develop the area of their host communities, Yulo said the new requirement would also mean more jobs for Filipinos.