Philippines sets new round of mining audit, expands coverage

MANILA, April 29 (Reuters) - 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.