By Enrico Dela Cruz

MANILA – The Philippines will review operations of its more than 50 mines in a new round of an industry-wide audit, the government said on Thursday, with coverage expanded to include some nickel projects in a southern province.

The audit, to begin in October, will cover the operations of four mines within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which produces mainly high-grade nickel, the finance ministry said in a statement.

The Philippines is the top supplier of nickel ore to China.

In January, its President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a halt to mining operations on Tumbagan Island in BARMM’s Tawi-Tawi province, expressing concern over reports that the area had been “completely devastated” by mining.

Mining operations in BARMM have not been closely monitored by the state’s industry regulator, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

The industry audit by a panel co-chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez will be the third since 2018, covering technical, legal, social, economic and environmental aspects of mining operations.

The first review in 2018 had resulted in some mine shutdowns due to alleged violations of environmental rules, sparking fears of tight global nickel supply.

The Southeast Asian nation is looking to revitalise its mining sector to boost state coffers, create new jobs and speed up its recovery from the pandemic-induced recession.

Earlier this month Duterte lifted a nine-year moratorium on new projects. The government may also soon lift a separate ban on open-pit mining, the industry regulator said.

“The ban on open-pit mining, a standard mining method practiced all over the mining world, needs to be lifted,” said Gerard Brimo, chairman of the industry group Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.

“The lifting of the moratorium on new mining projects alone will not allow the industry to achieve its full potential,” he said at an industry forum on Thursday.

Source: Reuters