MINING ISSUES

Reported by: Antoinette L. Burato

Master in Public Administration
What is MINING?
- is the extraction or removal of valuable minerals,
metals and other geological materials from the earth.
MINING IN THE PHILIPPINES
With an estimated US$ 1.4 trillion in mineral
reserves, especially gold, copper, nickel, aluminum, and
chromite, the mining potential of Philippines is one of
largest in the world. According to the Mines and
Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the archipelago is second
in the world in gold and third in copper resources. The
country is ranked top five in the world for overall mineral
reserves, covering an estimated nine million hectares,
although less than 2% has received mining permits.
MINING IN THE PHILIPPINES
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
O All the regions (except NCR and ARMM) in the country allow mining
operations.
O About 30 million hectares of land areas in the Philippines is
deemed as possible areas for metallic minerals. Of these, only a
small percentage has been covered by present mining permits.
O The Philippines metal deposit is estimated at 21.5 billion metric
tons and non- metallic minerals are at 19.3 billion metric tons.
O Labor department statistics show that mining in the Philippines
has created 211,000 jobs in 2011 alone. The figures have
doubled since 2006.
MINING IN THE PHILIPPINES
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
O The Mining Act of 1995 allows for foreign ownership of mining assets
and exploration permits. The Supreme Court upheld the
constitutionality of the foreign investors' participation in mining
activities in 2004.
O Mining tax is low at 2% for metallic and non-metallic minerals. The
current Aquino administration, however, wants to increase revenues
through an additional 5% royalty tax for mining permits within mining
reservation areas and increase the filing fee charges.
O There are a total of 1,828 mining applications in the country, which
will be directly affected by the Executive Order from the Aquino
administration that does not allow new mining permits
Mining Companies in Palawan
O Citinickel Mines and Development
Corporation (Española, Palawan)
O Narra Nickel Mining (Narra, Palawan)
O Berong Nickel Mining (Quezon, Palawan)
O Rio Tuba Nickel Mining (Bataraza, Palawan)
O Coral Bay Nickel Mining Corporation
(Bataraza, Palawan)
MINERALS WE GET FROM MINING:
Ores recovered by mining include metal, coal, oil
shale, gemstones, limestone, dimension stone, rock
salt, potash, gravel, and clay.

O COAL
- is a combustible rock made mainly of carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen.

- black coal used to generate electricity is called thermal

coal, energy coal or steaming coal.
MINERALS WE GET FROM MINING:
O GOLD
- mostly has a concentration of less than 5 grams in every tonne
of rock mined.
- used not only for currency and jewelry, it is also used to make
life saving medical equipment, and for components in TVs,
computers, DVDs and space satellites.
O COPPER
- It is used in power generation and transmission,
telecommunications, electrical products and in electronics.
O NICKEL
- Nickel occurs in nature principally as oxides, sulphides and
silicates.
EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
 EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental issues can include erosion, formation
of sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of
soil, groundwater and surface water by chemicals from mining
processes. In some cases, additional forest logging is done in the
vicinity of mines to create space for the storage of the created debris
and soil. Contamination resulting from leakage of chemicals can also
affect the health of the local population if not properly controlled.
Extreme examples of pollution from mining activities include coal
fires, which can last for years or even decades, producing massive
amounts of environmental damage.
EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
O AIR
Mining has a great effect on the quality of the air.
Since mines need to blast through rock to get to an ore,
dust may be produced in the process.

O Coal Mines – releases methane, which contributes to

environmental issues because it is a greenhouse gas.

EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
O AIR
O Gold Mining Industry – is one of the most destructive

industries in the world, because of all the toxins that are

released into the air.
~ Sulfur Dioxide – a gas that has a strong smell, that is
used in many industries, and that
contributes to air pollution.

- may be pollutes into the air by unsafe

smelter operation with insufficient safeguards.
EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
O WATER
Leftover chemical deposits form explosives are
usually toxic, and increase the salinity of the
mine water, as well as contaminating
it. Groundwater can be directly
contaminated through “in situ”mining,
in which a solvent seeps into un-mined
rock, leaching minerals.
EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
O WATER
O Sulfuric Acid

- Sulfide – containing minerals, when oxidized

through contact with air, via mining, form sulfuric
acid.
O Cyanide and Mercury

O Acid Mine Drainage

- Lowers the pH of the water , making it

more acidic.
EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
O LAND
There are many environmental concerns about
the effects mining has on the land. Trees need to be
cut down in order to have a mine built, and whole
forests could be destroyed.

O Overburden – the material that lies overtop of

the desirable mineral deposits that must be
removed before the mining process begins.
O Cyanide and Mercury
EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
O ECOSYSTEM DAMAGE
Mines are highly damaging to the
ecosystems surrounding them. Many different
types of mines affect many different types of
ecosystems.
O Deep-sea mines are high risk of eliminating rare
and potentially valuable organisms.
O Mining destroys animal habitats and ecosystems.
EFFECTS OF MINING IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
O ECOSYSTEM DAMAGE
The activity that surrounds the mine,
including people movement, explosions, road
construction, transportation of the goods, the sounds
made, etc. are harmful to the ecosystem and will
change the way the animals have to live because they
will have to find a new way to cope with the mine and
live around it.
OTHER MINING ISSUES
O Human rights abuses affecting local
communities especially indigenous people
O Extrajudicial killings of persons protesting
against mining
O Corruption in the mining sector
O Political pressure on the judiciary resulting
in pro-mining decisions
O Health Issues
REFERENCES:
www.arangkadaphilippines.com
www.rapler.com
www.nswminig.com.au
www.palawan.wordpress.com
www.cwis.org
THANK YOU!