Mining an issue of social justice –Binay

DAVAO CITY, June 15 – Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said communities that host mining operations should be the first ones to benefit from the economic gains from the mining industry.

“Mining goes beyond economic considerations. It is above all, a social justice issue. Communities that host mining operations should be granted opportunities like education, health care, clean water, and power as a bare minimum,” Binay said in a speech at the Philippine Society of Mining Engineers’ 2nd Mining Convention in Davao City today.

“The social and human profits emanating from mining should merit honest and profound focus. Minerals are non-renewable and once they are utilized, they will not grow back. It is therefore important that the gains from this enterprise bring financial strength to the true owners of this wealth – the people,” he added.

The Vice President also cited mining’s economic potential saying the Philippines has about 9 million hectares of potential mining land with only 1.4 million hectares being covered by mining permits.

“We have billions of tons of metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits buried within our soil,” Binay said.

“This is the strange contradiction that we live in, so many look for food and decent living above ground, while so much wealth lies literally beneath our feet,” he added.

However, Binay also acknowledged the impact of mining to the environment. He urged industry stakeholders to apply every measure and technology to ensure that the impact on the environment is managed and that proper rehabilitation is undertaken.

“Exceeding the bar of our desire to protect and preserve the earth we live in, is our duty to use its resources wisely and prudently for the benefit of all men,” Binay said.

“We cannot forever look at these riches as taboo and refuse to touch them, but neither can be we wasteful and careless in its consumption,” he added.

Binay also said that he stands “shoulder to shoulder” with President Benigno Aquino III in believing that a multipartite approach can find sustainable and environmentally-sound mining principles that will help the mining industry fulfill its true role in the economic development of the country.

He added that at the moment, the government is currently drafting a mining policy statement that seeks to increase the government’s share in mining revenues.

“I would like to reiterate that this policy statement, as President Benigno Aquino III himself has said, is still a work in progress. Our beloved President has assured us that discussions with the various entities that are very much concerned with mining in our country—including ecological groups, the mining groups, and local government units—will still have to be made,” Binay said. (Office of the Vice-President)