‘Complete turnaround’: Philippines’ Duterte lifts ban on new mining permits
by Leilani Chavez on 15 April 2021
President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted a ban on issuing licenses for new mining operations in the Philippines, marking an about-face from a previous anti-mining stance that saw him ban open-pit mining in 2017 and close or suspend 26 mining operations for environmental violations.
The government says the industry, which contributed 0.76% to the country’s GDP in 2020, is important in resuscitating an economy bogged down by the COVID-19 pandemic, by generating revenue and jobs and contributing to Duterte’s flagship infrastructure program.
Duterte’s pivot in favor of mining goes back to 2019, when the government allowed the operation of suspended mining firms and pushed for the rehabilitation of government-owned mines, particularly nickel mines, to cater to Chinese demand for nickel.
SunStar Unstable ground hinders search, retrieval efforts
ON SHAKY GROUND. In this photo taken in December 2020, a habal-habal driver points to the crown of the landslide at the Carmen Pit in the Toledo copper mines. / SUNSTAR FILE
+ January 30, 2021 MORE than a month after a deadly landslide hit the Carmen Pit of Carmen Copper Corp. in Toledo City, authorities have yet to recover the bodies of six missing workers.
Biga Barangay Captain Pedro Sepada, Jr. on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, said the search and retrieval operations are challenging because the ground remains unstable and the cracks are widening.
“The search and retrieval operations continue. But the ground is still unstable. A portion above the landslide continues to move,” he said.
December 31, 2020 ALMOST two weeks after a landslide in the only active open-pit mine of Carmen Copper Corp. (CCC) in Toledo City killed four workers and left six others missing, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Central Visayas (MGB 7) has yet to disclose the cause of the incident.
Heart Rizarri, MGB 7 information officer, said in a message to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, that the investigation on the Dec. 21 landslide incident was still ongoing.
She said further study will also be conducted before the MGB 7 can give its recommendation to the Toledo City Government on the fate of 400 families living near the site.
Capitol hands-off on Toledo landslide probe, vows to provide assistance to affected workers inquirer.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SunStar Toledo City Government relocates families living near mining pit’s collapsed area
STILL SEARCHING. Emergency responders led by the Philippine Coast Guard conduct on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, search and retrieval operations in the collapsed portion of Carmen Pit, an open mining pit of Carmen Copper Corp., to retrieve the six miners who remain missing after a landslide hit the pit on Dec. 21. / TOLEDO CITY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
+ December 29, 2020 THE Toledo City Government in southwestern Cebu has evacuated 400 families, composed of 2,000 individuals, living near the collapsed portion of an open mining pit owned by Carmen Copper Corp.
John Roseller Layan, Toledo City public information officer, said the evacuation of the families living in Barangay Biga began on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020.