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DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-11) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-11) emphasized on Tuesday that there is no open-pit mining within the protected regions of Davao Oriental.

The explanation came after an environmental advocacy group urged municipal authorities in Davao Oriental to complete the closure of an open-pit mining project near the protected areas of Mt. Hamiguitan and Pujada Bay.

The Pujada Nickel Open-Pit Mining Project straddles the Mount Hamiguitan Wildlife Range, a UNESCO World Heritage Site protected by Republic Act 9303, and the Pujada Bay Protected Seascape and Landscape, according to the Davao City-based Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS).

The Austral-Asia Link Mining Corporation and Hallmark Mining Corporation (ALMC/HMC), both in Mati City’s Barangays Cabuaya and Macambol, have legitimate and ongoing Mineral Production Sharing Agreements, according to DENR and MGB (MPSA).

According to DENR and MGB, they also don’t use open-pit mining, instead opting for “strip or contour mining.”

The joint statement from DENR and MGB further emphasized that ALMC/HMC received an environmental compliance certificate based on a research of the area’s environmental climate.

They further stated that both ALMC and HMC are on care and maintenance and have not operated since 2016, and that their locations are outside of the Mount Hamiguitan natural reserve.

“This office recognizes the concerns expressed by a variety of environmental organizations and advocates. Rest confident that your concerns have been heard, and that the DENR is doing all possible to ensure that our environment and natural resources are managed sustainably,” the message stated.

The importance of “responsible mining” was also emphasized by the DENR and MGB.

“Metallic minerals, such as nickel, are key metals used as alloys in the creation of our mobile phones, buildings, transportation, power generation, and electric battery for a new generation of electric cars, to name a few,” the agency stated.

The city of Mati told the public last week that the ALMC/HMC mining site, which covers a total size of 17,215.49 hectares, is outside of the protected zones.

Both enterprises ceased operations when the Duterte administration put a nationwide ban on open-pit mining in 2017.

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