By GISELLE OMBAY, GMA Integrated News
Several senatorial candidates on Thursday expressed support for small-scale mining in the country, emphasizing that activities from big mining companies are the ones that should be banned.
In a town hall forum on green agenda held at the De La Salle University, independent senatorial bet Atty. Angelo De Alban said that small-scale mining should not be totally prohibited so long as they don't use mercury and other hazardous substances that could harm the environment.
“We should allow small-scale or individual miners to also use what the land or the sea could provide in order for them to live. We have to understand that these people have to make a living,” De Alban said.
“Meron po tayong small-scale mining at napakaganda po ng layunin nito. Kailangan lang ibigay sa kanila ang proper assistance na ‘wag silang gagamit ng mercury, hindi dapat sila nakakasira ng ating ilog, at hindi rin dapat sila gumagamit ng mga kasangkapan na nakakasira sa ating kalikasan,” he added.
(The purpose of small-scale mining is very good. The miners just need to be properly reminded that they shouldn't use mercury, damage our river, and use equipment that could damage our environment.)
Labor leader Jerome Adonis from the Makabayan coalition echoed this, believing that small-scale miners have no capacity to use harmful tools, and that they are even the ones protecting the environment at times.
He explained that small-scale mining should be regulated instead and the miners be given proper assistance by the government.
“Dapat seryosohin ng gobyerno ‘to. Tulungan na sila ay foundation ng pagkakaroon natin na magamit ‘yung natural resources para mag-pundar po tayo ng national industrialization na tinatawag or sarili nating economy para hindi nakaasa ang ating ekonomiya sa ekonomiya ng foreign,” Adonis said.
(The government should take this seriously. They should help the small-scale miners become the country’s foundation to develop a national industrialization or an economy of its own, so that we will no longer rely on the economy of foreign countries," Adonis said.
Meanwhile, nurse and health activist Jocelyn Andamo, who is also from Makabayan, said that banning small-scale mining would result in the loss of jobs for mostly poor Filipinos.
“Mawawalan sila ng kabuhayan, ‘yung ating mga kababayan na naghihirap na. Ang kailangan nating panagutin ay ang mga large-scale mining industries na kumukuha ng marami nating minerals at resources na hindi na naibabalik sa atin at hindi natin napapakinabanggan,” Andamo said.
(Our countrymen who are already suffering will lose their livelihood. It is the large-scale mining industries that should be held accountable for taking many of our minerals and resources that we do not even benefit from," Andamo said.
During the same forum, the candidates were also asked if large-scale mining should be banned, especially in key biodiversity areas, which were answered in the affirmative by all the senatoriables and party-list representatives present.
This included Adonis, Andamo, de Alban, David D'Angelo, Ernesto Arellano, Roy Cabonegro, and Norman Marquez, as well as representatives from the Health Workers party-list, Arise party-list, Bayan Muna party-list, Kabataan party-list, Pamilyang Magsasaka party-list, and Magdalo party-list.
In 2022, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. tasked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to heighten its regulatory powers over small and large-scale mining.
The President back then said improving the regulatory powers would ensure that standards are updated and that mining firms are strictly implementing their respective safety and health programs for their workers.
The DENR earlier revealed that many small-scale miners are operating illegally and do not have proper protection.
This is why in 2023, the agency said it was planning to register small-scale miners and create an organization for them to formalize their operations.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
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