No such thing as “Responsible Mining” - ATM
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) disputed claims about the so-called practice of “responsible mining,” saying it does not exist among mining-affected communities despite residents’ constant complaints and reports of violations by mining companies.
Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator, said, “Responsible mining is a deceptive fabrication by government and the mining industry to court public approval of mining activities. In reality, there is no such thing as responsible mining since the government is heavily biased for mining corporations and turns a blind eye to the destructive impacts of mining.”
“We have dozens of cases of mining projects that violate existing laws and regulations of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) or projects that fail to comply with their own contractual obligations. There are also many instances where mining applications and contracts are not disclosed to local government units (LGUs) and affected communities. All these certainly point to prevalent irresponsible and destructive mining practices here in the Philippines,” he said.
Earlier, Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna stated that “responsible mining does exist,” adding that monitoring has become more effective with the use of drones and other technology, as well as social media reporting.
“If responsible mining indeed exists, how come there are a lot of communities protesting through barricades because the DENR has failed to act on their complaints?” Garganera said.
“From Dupax del Norte and Kasibu, to Palawan, to Sibuyan, Leyte and Eastern Samar, communities have set up barricades due to approval of mining permits without genuine consultations; rampant tree-cutting that causes flooding and is undertaken even without permits; encroachment in protected areas; damage to crops and marine life; threats to livelihoods and health; and, pollution of water sources and loss of biodiversity,” he added.
“What do the DENR and the mining corporations mean by ‘responsible mining?’In truth, there are no standards and parameters by which to hold mining companies accountable. For us, ‘responsible mining’ is a mere catchphrase invented to convince people to accept mining in their communities,” Garganera said.
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