Miners assert their rights over EO 79

Angelica Pago

(63) 915-9260371/angelica@bantoxics.org

QUEZON CITY - Small-scale miners from the province of Kalinga voiced out their apprehension over some sections of Executive Order 79.

Over a hundred small-scale miners who participated on the first day of the Kalinga Provincial Summit on Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining on June 3, 2013 expressed their concern as they feel ‘left-out’ in the new Executive Order.

EO 79 was signed last year by President Benigno Aquino III aiming to rationalize and strengthen the mining sector in the country.

“But we feel left out, it’s as though we were abandoned to fend for ourselves. We don’t want to be considered illegal forever,” one miner said.

The executive order states that while existing mining operations will be allowed to continue, the government will be suspending the granting of new mineral agreements until existing mining laws are amended. 

Except for two special permits, which expired on August 2012, no permits have been issued for small scale mining in Kalinga. There were pending applications for small-scale mining permits but processing was discontinued because of the moratorium on the issuance of ECCs and permits, as indicated in the executive order.

There is a large number of small-scale mining operations in the province of Kalinga particularly in Pasil and Balbalan. Small scale mining is a source of living for approximately 5000 miners in the area. Although considered illegal, small scale mining operations continue to thrive and there were no attempts by the authorities to stop small scale mining activities.

ASGM summits are one of the activities conducted by BAN Toxics to capacitate small-scale miners in pursuing mercury-free and responsible small-scale mining in the Philippines. The summit also gathers representatives from the national government, concerned agencies, and small scale miners and workers to bring out issues and concerns on the small-scale mining sector.

The Kalinga ASGM Summit is made possible through the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Dialogos, Global

Environmental Fund, University of Copenhagen, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and the International Center for Occupational,

Environment, and Public Health (ICOEPH) in partnership with the provincial government of Kalinga, Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

BAN Toxics! is an independent non-government environmental organization focused on the advancement of environmental justice, children's health, and toxics elimination. Working closely with government agencies, partner communities and other NGOs in both the local and international levels, BAN Toxics endeavors to reduce and eliminate the use of harmful toxins through education campaigns, training and awareness-raising, and policy-building and advocacy programs.