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ATM Press Release | July 21, 2022
On July 25, 2022, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. will deliver his first State of the Nation Address. During the electoral campaign, Marcos Jr. was seen as the least โgreenโ candidate, mainly due to the lack of clear environmental and climate programs that his administration will implement. Having the environment and climate portfolios as a blind or weak spot in the new administration is unacceptable.
Alyansa Tigil Mina recommends that the following environmental and climate matters be prioritized in the First 100 Days of the Marcos, Jr. regime. We call on the President to:
1. Immediately convene an environmental summit that will involve affected-communities and environmental groups in order to assess and craft this administrationโs environmental and climate program;
2. Convene a multi-stakeholder dialogue to tackle current mining issues. The dialogue must involve the DENR-MGB, the mining industry and mine-affected communities and their support groups. Main concerns should cover the assessment of EO 130 or the Mining Policy of the Duterte Administration, review of the lifting of the ban on open-pit mining, and the suspension of illegal mining operations;
3. Immediately revoke the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) and assign DENR as the lead agency for EITI-Philippines;
4. Instruct the 19th Congress to prioritize the enactment of the Green Bills โ i) Alternative Minerals Management Bill or AMMB, ii) Sustainable Forestry Management or SFM bill, iii) National Land Use Act or NLUA and the iv) Indigenous and Community Conservation Act or ICCA;
5. Instruct pertinent government agencies to review the categorization of mining as an โessential industryโ and consequently establish a rational basis for mining operations.
6. Revoke EO 130, evaluate the existing mining policies and issue a new mining EO that is responsive to sustainable development.
7. Respect local autonomy by supporting the positions and decisions of local government units about mining in their localities.
8. Revoke DENR Department Administrative Order 2021-40, which lifted the ban on open-pit mining.
9. Implement a Peopleโs Mine Audit that applies participatory and transparent methodologies and mechanisms.
10. Instruct concerned agencies to review all mine contracts and permits approved during the COVID19 pandemic, as well as the midnight mining deals in 2016.
11. Ensure that the Philippines be a safe country for environmental rights defenders by eliminating the risks and threats faced by environmental activists.
We demand that the new administration act on these recommendations in order to ensure environmental sustainability and climate change responsiveness for the current and future generations.
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