MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte repeated his call on Monday to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides, hours after his minister halted all small-scale mining in a mountainous gold-rich region.

“If I were to try to do my thing I will close all mining in the Philippines,” he said, presiding over a televised meeting of the government’s disaster response team two days after a powerful typhoon struck.

Duterte has often criticized the mining industry, saying the environmental damage far outweighs any benefit to the economy.

His latest comments followed an order earlier by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu to stop all small-scale mining in the Cordillera region, where landslides killed 24 people.

“We have a problem with our mining industry. It has not contributed anything substantial to the national economy,” Duterte said. Shortly after he assumed office in 2016, he warned all miners to follow tighter environmental rules or to shut down, saying the nation could survive without a mining industry.

Mining accounts for less than 1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, although only 3 percent of the 9 million hectares identified by the state as having high mineral reserves is being mined.

Mining has been a contentious issue in the Philippines, the world’s No. 2 nickel ore supplier after Indonesia, due to cases of environmental mismanagement.

The government estimates that 60-70 percent of small-scale miners in the country operate illegally, many of them digging for gold, silver and chromite.

Cimatu said he was also revoking temporary mining permits given to 10 associations in the Cordillera region in the wake of the landslides.

FILE PHOTO: President Rodrigo Duterte speaks after his arrival, from a visit in Israel and Jordan at Davao International airport in Davao City in southern Philippines, September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr.

Typhoon Mangkhut, which tore across the northern tip of the Philippines early on Saturday, killed at least 54 people, many of them due to landslides which some government officials and large miners said were exacerbated by illegal small-scale mining.

Some of those who died were illegally mining for gold near an abandoned bunkhouse owned by gold miner Benguet Corp, according to the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.

The chamber, of which Benguet Corp is a member, said mining operators there had been repeatedly told to leave the area because of the threat of landslides.</s>Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte has repeated his call to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides.

His comments come hours after his minister halted all small-scale mining in a mountainous gold-rich region and two days after a powerful typhoon slammed into the northern Philippines.

Duterte has often criticized the mining industry, saying the environmental damage far outweighs any benefit to the economy.

His latest comments followed an order earlier by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu to stop all small-scale mining in the Cordillera region, where landslides killed 24 people.

Typhoon Mangkhut, which tore across the northern tip of the Philippines early on Saturday (September 14), killed at least 54 people, many of them due to landslides which some government officials and large miners said were exacerbated by illegal small-scale mining.</s>MANILA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday repeated his desire to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides that some government officials and large miners said have been exacerbated by illegal small-scale mining.

“If I were to try to do my thing I will close all mining in the Philippines,” Duterte said, presiding over a televised meeting of the government’s disaster response team two days after a powerful typhoon struck.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu earlier on Monday ordered all small-scale mining stopped in the Cordillera region, where landslides killed 24 people.</s>President Rodrigo Duterte's warning on mining comes after Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu suspended small-scale mining operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte's anger over mining resurfaced as he visited Benguet where dozens perished in landslides near mining areas, prompting him to float the idea of "closing" the country's mining industry.

"One day, I will just have to confront Congress. Sabihin ko talaga sa kanila (I'll really tell them), we have to close the mining industry or better still, plan a period then give Mother Earth a respite [from] the continued endless digging," he said on Monday, September 17, during a situation briefing in La Trinidad, Benguet.

In the same meeting, he said stopping mining nationwide would require Congress to repeal the Philippine Mining Act. Since the start of his presidency, Duterte has opposed open-pit mining and agreed to a temporary open-pit mining ban.

He has also ordered mining companies to repair environmental damage and compensate farmers and fishermen whose livelihoods are affected by mining operations.

Earlier that day, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu suspended all small-scale mining operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region as a response to the deaths of miners who died due to a landslide while trapped in a mining bunkhouse at the height of Typhoon Ompong (international name Mangkhut).

Duterte expressed approval of Cimatu's decision during the situation briefing.

But Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan appealed to Cimatu to allow certain small-scale operations to continue as long as they are not done in hazard-prone areas.

Local reporters had pointed out the loss of livelihoods of thousands who depend on the industry. – Rappler.com</s>MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines’ environment minister on Monday ordered the stoppage of all small-scale mining activities in a mountainous region in the country’s north following major landslides after super typhoon Mangkhut hit the country.

“I officially order the cease and desist of all illegal small-scale mining in Cordillera Region,” Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu told a media briefing.

Mangkhut, with hurricane-force winds well over 200 km per hour (124 miles per hour), barreled past the northern tip of the Philippines on Saturday, killing at least 50 people, the majority of them due to landslides.

It then skirted south of Hong Kong and neighboring Macau, before making landfall in China.</s>Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan appeals to the Environment Secretary not to stop all the operations and to consult local governments and mining stakeholders first

MANILA, Philippines – Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered a stop to all small-scale mining operations in Itogon, Benguet following the death and entrapment of miners due to landslides in the town caused by Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut).

"I officially ordered cease and desist of illegal small-scale minng operations in the whole of Cordillera Administrative Region," said Cimatu on Monday, September 17 in a press briefing in Benguet.

Cimatu also ordered the revocation of small-scale mining permits issued for mining areas in Itogon.

"By virtue of what happened, I am revoking those permits, effective today," he said.

Cimatu's order comes after at least 30 people died after getting buried by landslides inside a mining bunkhouse owned by Benguet Corporation in the middle of landslides, according to a PhilStar report.

Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said local police had tried to force those who took shelter in the bunkhouse to leave because of the precarious location of the building – near a mountain slope. But they resisted.

"The people laughed and showed their bunkhouse. Small-scale miners made it into a chapel and they said they will evacuate there if Ompong comes," said Palangdan in Filipino.

He also said the local government previously tried to keep the small-scale miners away from the area but they refused, claiming Benguet Corporation has allowed them to mine there and use the bunkhouse.

But Mayor Palangdan appealed to Cimatu not to stop all the small-scale mining operations since not all areas are as dangerous as the Benguet Corporation area.

"I am appealing to the Secretary that we should have first a technical conference to determine the areas that are dangerous and not to stop all the mining operations of the small scale [miners] because if you will visit the area, there area places where people can work without any harm to their health or life," said the local chief.

He stressed that the area is not covered by any small-scale mining permit because and that the Benguet Corporation mining tunnel there is "abandoned."

Palangdan asked Cimatu to hold a meeting with local government officials and mining stakeholders first.

Cimatu was asked at least thrice by local reporters if the government would provide alternative livelihood to those miners who would lose their source of income due to his order.

He, however, did not give a direct response, only saying that the miners, who he claims mostly come from Ifugao, would be returned to that province.

"Many of them are from Ifugao, we will see if we can bring them back to Ifugao," said Cimatu.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque later on said the miners could benefit from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) or work in the agricultural sector.

Cimatu emphasized that the government must ensure small-scale miners are not allowed to live in areas identified as landslide-prone by the geohazard maps.

As of Monday morning, 54 people have died in the Cordillera region due to Ompong. – Rappler.com</s>MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines has ordered a review of more than 100 proposals for small-scale mining sites across the country following a landslide that killed 62 people including illegal gold miners, its environment minister said on Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian nation has designated about 18 mining areas for small-scale mining locally known as Minahang Bayan. The areas are subject to rules regulating small-scale mineral extraction to ensure taxes are paid and environmental breaches are prevented.

“We will be stricter in approving Minahang Bayan sites, and affirm whether they conform to standards that are safe especially for the miners,” Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu said in a statement.

There are more than 100 pending applications for Minahang Bayan, Wilfredo Moncano, the head of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, told reporters.

The order comes a day after Cimatu halted all small-scale mining in the Cordillera region in northern Philippines after heavy rains from super typhoon Mangkhut triggered landslides on Saturday which some government officials and large miners said were exacerbated by illegal small-scale mining.

In the village of Ucab in the town of Itogon in the Cordillera, the death toll has reached 62 with more than 40 people still missing, said Francis Tolentino, an advisor to President Rodrigo Duterte and head of the government’s disaster coordination.

Some of those who died were illegally extracting for gold around the areas where Benguet Corp operated a mine that suspended operations in the 1990s.

Benguet Corp said in a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday that the illegal mining and gold processing activities there “are without the permission” of the company.

The Philippines is the world’s No. 2 nickel ore supplier after Indonesia. The government’s focus on small-scale mining follows an earlier crackdown on larger miners many of which were ordered closed or suspended for environmental infractions.

Last month, a government panel said 23 of 27 mines reviewed for compliance with state regulations will continue to operate, while the remaining four that failed the audit could face closure.</s>Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu orders the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to review all minahang bayan applications after the tragic landslide in Itogon, Benguet

MANILA, Philippines – To avoid the repeat of the tragedy in Itogon, Benguet, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered a review of all people’s small-scale mining or minahang bayan sites in the country.

The environment chief ordered the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to “revisit and validate” all applications whether they “conform to standards that are safe especially for the miners.”

Dozens have remained missing and feared dead in Itogon due to the landslides during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut).

Cimatu issued the statement after MGB-Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) confirmed that 10 small-scale mining associations were granted mining contracts in Itogon, pending the declaration of a minahang bayan.

The environment chief recently ordered to stop all mining activities in CAR.

Cimatu has requested the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to help the MGB to halt all mining activities in CAR.

The minahan ng bayan was made possible by Executive Order No. 79 by President Benigno Aquino III, where small-scale miners are limited to areas declared as minahang bayan.

EO 79 aimed to implement mining reforms in the country to ensure environmental protection and promote responsible utilization of mineral resources, pursuant to Republic Act 7076 or the People’s Small Scale Mining Act of 1991. – Rappler.com</s>The government has halted small-scale mining operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region but has yet to provide alternative livelihood to the miners

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The mining town of Itogon in Benguet is no stranger to deadly storms, yet many of its residents would rather stay put then lose their only source of livelihood.

They're the miners of Barangay Ucab, a village with a swath of houses latched on to a mountain range.

"Talagang 90% ng livelihood ng taga-Itogon ay mina.... Doon lang kami umaasa (90% of the livelihood of Itogon residents is really mining.... We only rely on that)," Barangay Ucab Councilor Jake Naboye told Rappler on Tuesday, September 18.

Ucab village was among the areas that suffered the highest casualties after heavy rains brought by Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut triggered a landslide that buried a bunkhouse packed with miners and their families.

In the village alone, at least 18 were found dead while dozens of others remained missing after the landslide.

Presidential Political Adviser Francis Tolentino, President Rodrigo Duterte's "conduit" for government response to Ompong, said the landslide was caused by both torrential rains and small-scale mining.

"The degree of soil loosening…greatly contributed and exacerbated the amount of rainfall brought by Typhoon Ompong," he said in an interview at the Itogon incident response center near ground zero on Tuesday.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has since ordered a stop to all small-scale mining operations in the Cordillera region.

Naboye said residents in the area cannot easily find jobs elsewhere because the mining has been the livelihoof of the people in Itogon for generations.

In fact, he was a miner himself before getting elected as a councilor. His father and grandfather were miners too. Itogon has also begun attracting diggers from other provinces.

Asked about the alternative livelihood of Itogon miners since the government ordered the halt in small-scale mining in the region, Naboye said they would just follow where the national government leads them.

When Cimatu annonced the closure of small-scale mining operations, he was asked repeatedly by local reporters if the government would provide alternative livelihood to the miners.

Cimatu could not answer directly, only saying that the miners, who he claimed were mostly Ifugao, province, would be returned to that province.

But with their lives on the line, the people of Itogon are looking for a more direct answer.

"Karamihan talaga po, honestly speaking, doon kami nabubuhay. Katulad sa lowlands, 'yung iba, pangingisda. Dito rin, 'yun din talaga ang kabuhayan dito (Most of us, honestly speaking, depend on mining. Just like in the lowlands, some of them fish. This is how we make a living here)," Naboye said. – Rappler.com</s>President Rodrigo Duterte distributes financial aid and other types of assistance to 22 families in Benguet

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte distributed assistance to families of those who died in Benguet due to landslides caused by Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut).

Duterte met with 22 families in La Trinidad, Benguet, before leading a situation briefing on response and rehabilitation operations on Monday, September 17.

The President handed P25,000 in checks to each of the families. Relief goods from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, help with burials, and P20,000 in cash were also given, according to Special Assistant to the President Bong Go.

Of the 54 persons who died in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), 52 died due to landslides.

Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan thanked Duterte for taking the time to personally visit Ompong-hit areas.

"This is the first time that a president went down to earth to us," he said during the situation briefing. – Rappler.com
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte repeats his call to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides, hours after Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu orders all mining to be stopped in the Cordillera region.