Alternative Mining Bill now known as House Bill No. 6342
By atm.admin - Posted on May 18th, 2009
What is the Alternative Mining Bill?
The Alternative Mining Bill (AMB) is a proposed policy to scrap the
Mining Act of 1995 and introduce a new mining policy to regulate the
rational exploration, development and utilization of mineral resources and
ensure the equitable sharing of benefits for the State, indigenous peoples
and local communities and for other purposes. AMB covers ownership,
management and governance of ore minerals onshore, as well as quarry
resources, sand and gravel, guano, and gemstones, excluding offshore
mining and other resources such as petroleum and coal natural gas,
radioactive materials, and geothermal energy, as these are resources which
require specific laws.
The AMB takes into consideration the decades-long issues,
experiences and analyses of different individuals, organizations and
communities affected by mining in the Philippines. It is a tool to elevate
marginalized and impoverished communities to the level of big businesses (in
terms of political power) through the legal system to force government,
transnational corporations, international finance corporations and other
countries to face communities, to address the loopholes of the Mining Act of
1995 and stop unjust mining regime/practices in the Philippines.
The AMB aims to articulate the basic agreements during the Dapitan
Initiative – a mass-based movement formed in 2002 to counter act the
Government’s creeping aggressive promotion of large-scale mining
operations in the country. It is the result of extensive consultations with
different mining affected communities nationwide. AMB is the output of
intensive research work, which includes the conduct of round table
discussions, focused group discussions and interviews with known expertsi
since 200458 and utilizes relevant information prior to the passage of the
Philippine Mining Act in 1995.
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Icerocket| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| HB 6342 Explanatory Note.pdf | 547.66 KB |
| HB 6342.pdf | 6.37 MB |
| AMB_in brief.pdf | 243.28 KB |
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anti-mining bill
this bill is based on ill-researched premise regarding mining. some of the conditions will never suit some deposits such as copper, aluminum etc. some of the minerals can't be mined in small-scale manner since they require massive investments and infrastructure to be cost-effective.
the proponents should also take note that exploration is not a simple undertaking. there should be a massive build up of the present Mines and Geosciences Bureau in terms of personnel and equipment to be able to conduct a decent exploration. the salary of the personnel that will conduct exploration should also be upgraded tremendously to cover the risk that they will undertake while conducting the activity. the government will also need time more than what was envisioned by the authors to finish the exploration. it is also worth mentioning that only about 1% of all the prospects explored can become a mine. exploration is a very risky activity without a guaranteed return. to think that exploration is just the initial step towards having a mine. the government cannot afford to channel limited resources that could be better use for social services in doing an activity that is better left to private enterprises.
i'm sure that this bill will never get the support of the professionals involved in the industry of mining such as mining engineers, geologists and metalurgists. this will not also sit well with the international community, investors, financial institutions and even the academe.
this bill should be renamed "the Anti-mining Bill" to reflect its true nature.
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