As the current happenings in the Philippines mineral resources their current president,

Duterte lifted the band in opening or gestation for new mining operation in the country.

Industry contribute 0.76% of the country’s GDP or Gross Domestic Product in the year 2020

is important because of current impact of Covid 19 in the country. In the year 2019, the

Philippine government approved the suspended mining sites to reopen to fulfill the demand

of the China in terms of nickel and at the same year the mining became one of the deadliest

in the world for the environment that is according to Global Witnesses which Philippines has

the most mining related killings at 2019. The Department of Environment and Natural

Resources (DENR) and the Department of Finance are expected to “formulate the terms and

conditions in the new mineral agreements that will maximize government revenues and share

from production, including the possibility of declaring these areas as mineral reservations to

obtain appropriate royalties, in accordance to existing laws, rules, and regulations,” the

executive order stated. Year 2017 when Duterte force ban on open-pit mining and appointed

Gina Lopez as the anti-mining advocate. In her one year, she suspends or close 26 numbers

of mining sites because of environmental violations of the owner of the mining sites but in

2019 Duterte has been quiet about mining and not mentioning in his public speeches and

that’s when DeNR’s MGB recommended to reopen the mining sites that Lopez

closed/suspended, according to anti-mining group.

Indonesia, the world’s biggest nickel producer ban exporting in January 2020 and

that’s when Philippines, No.2 in producer fulfill the demand of China l that export around

333 000 tons of nickel last year. Even in lockdown that banned the travels by air, sea, and

land, the mining industry of the Philippines was allowed to continue operating that makes

conflicts in the government because of Covid 19. In last October the Secretary of Finance
Carlos Dominguez III announced that the government are planning to revive mining sites that

was owned by the government and at the same month the President lifted the oil exploration

moratorium in West Philippines Sea, area where South East Asia claims.

In Mindanao where indigenous groups have been connected to the government

because of mining companies, specifically the Chinese companies. “This support to more

mining projects will encourage more Chinese investments to extract nickel, black sand and

copper minerals here in the Philippines,” anti-mining coalition Alyansa Tigil Mina said. “All

these will only benefit Chinese demands and not Philippine industrialization.” In Palawan,

many mining sights has been closed because of its effects on the biodiversity and protected

areas.

Leilani Chavez. 15 April 2021. Mongabay. Retrieved from

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/complete-turnaround-philippines-duterte-lifts-ban-on-

new-mining-permits/