Govt cracks down on idle mining sites
08/01/2008 | 04:15 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources plans to cancel all mining claims and tenements which have remained idle for more than two years now, to give room for interested local and foreign investors deemed capable of developing these projects.
Environment Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr. told reporters Thursday that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) is drawing up a list "so that we [would] know of the claims that have not moved and these are basis enough to cancel [them]."
Mr. Atienza said the holders of the claims cannot "lay claim on [these areas] forever," otherwise "obviously [the holder] is incapable of fulfilling responsibility as claimant."
MGB Director Horacio C. Ramos said in a separate interview that his bureau will examine all tenement applications, exploration permits, and mineral production sharing agreements to see if rights holders had achieved specific performance benchmarks within the prescriptive periods.
MGB data showed there were 65 inactive mining tenements, involving a total area of 68,570 hectares, that had been cancelled by the Environment department during the term of then secretary Michael T. Defensor in 2005.
These tenements had been turned over to the Philippine Mining Development Corp., which is the agency tasked to auction off cancelled rights. The agency said on its Web site that "the move was prompted by the failure of contractors to undertake mining activities under their respective contracts for a long period of time." - BusinessWorld
Environment Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr. told reporters Thursday that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) is drawing up a list "so that we [would] know of the claims that have not moved and these are basis enough to cancel [them]."
Mr. Atienza said the holders of the claims cannot "lay claim on [these areas] forever," otherwise "obviously [the holder] is incapable of fulfilling responsibility as claimant."
MGB Director Horacio C. Ramos said in a separate interview that his bureau will examine all tenement applications, exploration permits, and mineral production sharing agreements to see if rights holders had achieved specific performance benchmarks within the prescriptive periods.
MGB data showed there were 65 inactive mining tenements, involving a total area of 68,570 hectares, that had been cancelled by the Environment department during the term of then secretary Michael T. Defensor in 2005.
These tenements had been turned over to the Philippine Mining Development Corp., which is the agency tasked to auction off cancelled rights. The agency said on its Web site that "the move was prompted by the failure of contractors to undertake mining activities under their respective contracts for a long period of time." - BusinessWorld
