...Gold Mining: Why it should be banned in the Philippines? Gold mining in the Philippines can be traced hundreds of years back before the colonizers came to the country. As early as 1521, our ancestors were already panning gold and have decorated themselves with gold accessories. As years passed, the growth of the mining industry has increased. In 1995, Philippine Mining Act was passed which the government allowed foreign companies to fully operate in the country; it created backlash from Filipinos stating that they should be the only ones to mine their own resources but the government still allowed it for large investments coming from foreign companies which will boost the economy. 1 The country’s mining industry was also ignited by the legend of Yamashita’s treasure. The legend has attracted tourists and curious treasure seekers to look out for the supposed ‘treasure’ of gold that the Japanese Army had hidden in the different parts of the country. 2 It seems that gold mining is a lucrative business. But is mining helpful to the country? Mining have garnered vast impacts in every aspect of the country. It boosts the economy by letting the mining companies give the government its share of their profits. But only a margin of profits is being given to the government. According to Governor Joey Salceda of Albay, “which hosts the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project, only received P3.4 million from the mining company’s revenues. The company’s export value reached P7.7 billion...
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...An Analysis of the Government's Role in the Mining Industry in the Philippines Steven B. Baria Kim Edbonn C. Castillo Maridy D. Nuyda Economics 151 Prof. Teresa J Ho March 13, 2013 The stance of the government in recapturing the essence of the mining industry in the country has been reiterated time and again. The industry has been tapped as one of the most viable provider of revenues and employment through local and foreign investments. Past administrations had stressed the importance of favorable investment conditions that is supposed to promote the economic growth and progress, particularly in the mining industry. However, various issues has haunted the implementation of a holistic mining industry in the nation. This paper aims to provide a view of the efficiency and equity issues that plagues the whole of the mining sector and what the government can do in order to cater to these considerations. The Philippine case would be the vantage point of the study. The paper starts by defining some terms that is helpful in understanding the entire paper. A discussion of the externalities emanating from the mining industry and equity and efficiency arguments follows suit. Lastly an analysis of the government’s role in the Philippines and some recommendations are given. Mining: Some Definitions Mining is the useful extraction of minerals and other geological materials from the surface of the earth. This involves complicated and expensive processes and is accompanied by externalities...
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...MINING I INTRODUCTION Brief Historical Background Digging deep into history, mining in the Philippines is one of the oldest industries in the country. Gold mining in Luzon started even in the 3rd century as reported by the Chinese merchants. Before the advent of the Spanish rule, metals—primarily gold—played an important role in shaping traditions and rituals, in indigenizing certain features of Filipino beliefs, and in developing patterns of wealth, power and authority during the period. The spirit of Spanish expansionism was at its crest when it reached the Philippines in the second half of the sixteenth century. The archipelago became the base of further efforts to conquer and evangelize new areas and design new trade routes in search primarily of spices but also of gold and other precious merchandise. The Spaniards failed to develop mining in the country, but left behind one of the basic building blocks of the present-day mining laws–the Regalian Doctrine. In essence, the Regalian Doctrine stipulates that all minerals and substances underneath all lands, public or private belong to the state. In effect, the law rests on the principle of eminent domain which reserves to the state the right to develop the mines on its own initiative or through private concessions. With the Americans, mining industries accelerated as the country’s economy strengthened its links to the needs of the industrialized countries like the US. The growth of the mining industry in the Philippines...
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...2013 PB-13-02 Realizing the Philippines’ Mining Potential Given the country’s mineral wealth, the mining industry can be a key driver of economic growth. However, the industry is hounded by various issues and challenges. These include the social and environmental costs, a revenue sharing agreement that is seen as unfair and inequitable, the overlapping and weak enforcement of mining laws, and other problems relating to the mining sector. Unless these are addressed through a clear, consistent and competitive mining policy, the sector’s huge potential to bring economic benefits will unlikely be realized. The SEPO Policy Brief, a publication of the Senate Economic Planning Office, provides analysis and discussion on important socioeconomic issues as inputs to the work of Senators and Senate Officials. The SEPO Policy Brief is also available at www.senate.gov.ph. Introduction The mining industry has a great potential to be a key growth sector in the Philippines given the country’s vast and rich mineral resource deposits. Mining can spur economic growth and generate employment opportunities in local communities as mining companies invest in infrastructure, utilities and other facilities within the mining sites. It can likewise contribute to the country's foreign-exchange earnings through exports and bring much needed revenues to the government through taxes and fees paid on mining and other related activities. It appears though that the Philippine mining industry has not lived up to...
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...POLICY REFORMS AND INITIATIVES TO REVITALIZE THE PHILIPPINE MINING INDUSTRY HORACIO C. RAMOS Director MINES AND GEOSCIENCES BUREAU Department of Environment and Natural Resources Republic of the Philippines September 2009, Manila Copper Gold Nickel Chromite Polymetallic Processing Plant OPERATING MINES 7 Major Mines: Masbate Gold Operation of Filminera Lepanto’s Victoria and Teresa Gold Mines Philex’s Padcal Copper Mine Rapu-rapu Polymetallic Project. Banahaw Gold Project, Philsaga Mining Corp. Carmen Copper Project Canatuan Copper-Zinc Project of TVI Resources 1 Medium-scale Chromite Mines Redondo Project of Krominco, Inc. 10 Medium-scale Nickel Mines Cagdianao Mining Corporation, Dinagat Province Berong Nickel Project, Quezon, Palawan Rio-tuba Nickel Mining Corp., Bataraza, Palawan Hinatuan Mining Corp. – Tagana-an Project, Surigao del Norte Taganito Mining Corp. – Claver, Surigao del Norte Platinum Group Metals – Cagdianao Nickel Project, Surigao del Norte CRAU Mineral Resources Corp. – Sta. Cruz-Candelaria Nickel Project, Zambales CTP Constn, and Mining Corp. – ACT Project and Carrascal Nickel Projects, Surigao del Sur SR Metals Inc. – Tubay Nickel Project, Agusan del Norte 4 Medium-scale Gold Mines Gold mine of Johnson Gold Mining Corporation Maco Mine, Apex Mining Company Inc. Diwalwal Direct State Development Project Acupan Gold Operations of Benguet 15 Cement Plants and Quarries 1 Nickel Processing Plant in Palawan 1 Copper Smelter (PASAR) in Leyte...
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...EXTERNAL ANALYSIS of the PHILIPPINES Filipinos are food lover. Filipinos do not consider it a meal if rice is not served. Plain steamed rice is the basis of the diet. Three crops a year are harvested to provide enough rice for the population, and the government keeps surpluses stored for times of drought. Salt water and freshwater of fish and shellfish are eaten daily, served either fresh or salted. Fish, chicken and pork are usually fried, although people are becoming more health-conscious and often choose alternative methods of cooking. Garlic is added to food because it is considered healthful. Filipino food is not spicy. All food is cooked on gas burners or wood or charcoal fires and is allowed to get cold before it is eaten. Rice is cooked first, since it takes longer. When it is ready, rice will be placed on the table while the next items of the meal are prepared and served. Table knives are not used. Forks and spoons are used for dining. The food is eaten from a spoon. The traditional method of placing food on a banana leaf and eating with one's hands is also used throughout the country. It is acceptable to eat food with one's hands at restaurants as well as in the home. Breakfast is served at 6 A.M. and consists of food left over from the night before. It is not reheated. Eggs and sausage are served on special occasions. Small buns called pan de sol may be purchased from vendors early in the morning. At midmorning and in the afternoon, people eat merienda. Since Filipinos...
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...Deuterium as the Future Energy Source and Philippines as the Largest Producer of Deuterium Without energy, global progress would seize to expand, and the quest for better society can only be achieved with sustainable energy, however with the dilemma of the fossil fuel reserves and the few choices that could replace fossil fuel energy output, the world cannot afford not to develop nuclear fusion technology particularly with the use of Deuterium. I. Introduction II. What is Deuterium? A. Definition B. History C. Importance and Uses III. Sources D. Deuterium Mining IV. Effects E. Man and; F. Economy Introduction: “The only permanent in this world is change” and the dependence of mankind to fossil fuels as source of energy is about to end soon. Studies show that there are only 1,000 billion barrels of reserve petroleum left in the world today. With the world's annual consumption of 28.6 billion barrels, all reserve oil will be fully used up 35 years from now. World energy requirements will have to be shifted then to natural gas which still has 5,457 trillion cubic feet in reserve (Halog). But this particular source is still subject to depletion. Thus, Hydrogen, which has an abundant and unlimited source in Deuterium, can be or will be the future energy reserve. This research includes some of the details about the said element. And will also give the readers knowledge and background about the existence of what...
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...Marco Crespo Professor Joyce Martin En12 07 February, 2014 Phytoremediation: Seeing Through a Beneficial Solution An accident happened on April 26, 1986, when a unexpected surge of power during a system test destroyed unit 4 of the nuclear power station at Chernobyl in Ukraine, former Soviet Union. A devastating amount of radioactive material was released into the environment. 30 kilometres around the plant around the plant was closed after the accident. About one hundred fifteen thousand people were evacuated around 1986 and in the following years, about two hundred thousand more were also forced to vacate. Sadly, the problem did not end there. Three years after the incident, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assessed the situation around the Chernobyl. Toxic metals and radioactive emission like iodine, cesium-137, plutonium and strontium were found in the plants, soil and even animals. Ever since 1991, the Canadian Nuclear Association also noted that there is a sudden increase in the rate of thyroid cancer. This is happened because cesium-137 or radioactive cesium, with a mass number of 137, has the capability to enter the food chain and can be delivered around an internal dosage of radiation before it can be metabolically eliminated. To prevent this from spreading, livestock were only fed plants that are uncontaminated or plants that cannot accumulate heavy metals. After that, a method was introduced to clean the soil from the toxins. This is called...
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...Good governance and mining FROM A DISTANCE By Carmen N. Pedrosa (The Philippine Star) Updated June 24, 2012 12:00 AM As I write this column, the new Executive Order on mining was being awaited with bated breath by the mining industry. The word was it has been postponed... yet again. In my opinion, mining is the only big ticket industry that can lift our economy. By this I mean to lift the lives of millions of our countrymen from squalor and poverty — not merely higher GNPs. It will not come with changing laws or policies to please all clashing vested interests. I am afraid EOs, however well they are crafted, are only words on a piece of paper. It is a start but it will not be enough to make the mining industry work for the country. It will need leadership with a vision and the will to realize that vision. Uppermost in that vision is how it is implemented and supervised. If President Aquino truly wants to raise money to alleviate poverty in the Philippines, he is well advised not to dilly-dally. Now is the time with foreign and local investors looking to how he handles the mining imbroglio. The needs of our poor coincide with the high demand for metallic resources we have that other countries can only envy. We need tourism, we need to preserve the environment and we need mining. But these have to be balanced with strong and informed leadership instead of being evaded to the detriment of the country and the...
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...As a newly industrialized country, the Philippines is still an economy with a large agricultural sector; however, services have come to dominate the economy. Much of the industrial sector is based on processing and assembly operations in the manufacturing of electronics and other high-tech components, usually from foreign multinational corporations. Filipinos who go aboard to work–-known as Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs—are a significant contributor to the economy but are not reflected in the below sectoral discussion of the domestic economy. OFW remittances is also credited for the Philippines' recent economic growth resulting to investment status upgrades from credit ratings agencies such as theFitch Group and Standard & Poor's. Agriculture Agriculture employs 32% of the Filipino workforce as of 2013, according to World Bank statistics. Agriculture accounts for 12% of Philippines GDP as of 2013, according to the World Bank. The type of activity ranges from small subsistence farming and fishing to large commercial ventures with significant export focus. The Philippines is the world's largest producer of coconuts producing 19,500,000 tons in 2009. Coconut production in the Philippines is generally concentrated in medium-sized farms. By 1995, the production of coconut in the Philippines had experienced a 6.5% annual growth and later surpassed Indonesia in total output in the world.[41] The Philippines is also the world's largest producer of pineapples, producing 2,198...
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...allows easy strip mining operations. Nauruans enjoyed strip mining for a century as it made them among the richest people in the world. Billions of dollars worth of phosphates had been exported. The damage to their environment due to mining was so severe. The rehabilitation of the devastated land and the replacement of income from phosphate are serious long-term problems. Since 2000, Nauru’s economy has relied largely on payments for fishing rights within its exclusive economic zone and the detention center camps for asylum seekers to Australia, which held Afghan, Burmese, and Sri Lankan refugees. The government-owned mining company, the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Company, or RONPhos, initiated the mining of subsurface secondary reserves of phosphate in late 2009, along with a new rehabilitation program for mined-out land. The rehabilitation program includes the development of a new national cemetery, a nursery for developing native flora for the reforestation of the island, a catchment area for a freshwater reservoir and a conservation area. The Nauru’s example is a warning for the Philippines. The Philippines is the fifth most mineral-rich country in the world for gold, nickel, copper, and chromite. It is home to the largest copper-gold deposit in the world. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau has estimated that the country has an estimated $840 billion worth of untapped mineral wealth. And all the regions (except NCR and ARMM) in the country allow mining operations. Even...
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...It is crucial for the Philippine government to adopt and implement strict environmental protection policies in the country. Why? The Philippines is a land of rich natural resources. It has fertile lands, diverse flora and fauna, extensive coastlines, and rich mineral deposits. All of which has helped the nation satisfy present material needs, address pervasive poverty, acquire higher incomes, and achieve economic prosperity. However, as the population grows, these natural resources have been overused or degraded as individuals become more concerned with personal interests and development. The government therefore has introduced policies that aim to manage, protect and conserve the country’s environment and natural resources for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Have these policies been effective? To some extent yes, but its full objectives have yet to be realized. A good example would be the imposition of a logging ban on many areas of the country and only allowed “sustainable logging” in select areas. However, illegal logging and small-scale illegal mining continued in many areas. Another example would be the requirement to secure permits prior to conducting mining activities. About 30% of the land area of the country was determined to be geologically prospective, and yet mining permits covered only 1.5% of country’s land area. These prompted therefore the implementation of stringent environmental protection policies in the country. In 2011, for instance...
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...Canales, Flory Costanilla, Gianne Marisse Dalut, Michelle Gilos, Mary Grace Segurigan, Joliza Yu, Ma. Daniela Presented to: Prof. Jessie Tamayo I. Marketing Background A. Overview of the Industry The new SMC under the leadership of Cojuangco and Ang, the company has undergone a major strategic shift, streamlining and broadening its business portfolio, reshaping and redefining the very nature of its core businesses. While the company has significantly expanded its participation in its core business of food, beverage and packaging through regional acquisitions and integration, it has also made inroads into the power, mining, petroleum, infrastructure and telecommunication industries. San Miguel Corporation operates in beverages, food, packaging, fuel and oil, power, mining, and infrastructure businesses in the Philippines and internationally. The Beverage segment produces and markets alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. The Food segment is involved in the feeds production; poultry and livestock farming; processing and sale of poultry and meat products; processing and marketing of refrigerated and canned meat products; manufacturing and marketing of flour products, premixes and flour-based products, dairy-based products, breadfill, desserts, and cooking oil; and importation and marketing of coffee and coffee-related products. The Packaging segment is engaged in the production and marketing of packaging products. It is also involved in crate and plastic pallet...
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...Conservation, Protection & Rehabilitation of the Environment & Natural Resources The country is widely acknowledged as having an outstanding endowment of natural resources, which could provide essential ecosystem services to the population. Demands arising from development and utilization activities, population expansion, poor environmental protection, and external factors such as climate change, however, have placed the country’s environment and natural resources under grave threat. For the medium-term, an environment that is healthy, ecologically balanced, sustainably productive, climate change resilient, and one that provides for present and future generations of Filipinos is envisioned. This vision will be pursued through an integrated and community-based ecosystems approach to environment and natural resources management, precautionary approach to environment and natural resources, sound environmental impact assessment (EIA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). These, then, are all anchored on the principles of shared responsibility, good governance, participation, social and environmental justice, intergenerational space and gender equity, with people at the core of conservation, protection and rehabilitation, and developmental initiatives. Assessment State of the Environment and Natural Resources The degraded state of the country’s environment and natural resources is felt most intensely by the poor, especially the rural communities given that they depend...
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...Francis P. Patlunag BSME- 3 ‘Illegal’ gold mining in Leyte, Philippines Monday, Jan 16, 2012 TACLOBAN CITY-The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Eastern Visayas is investigating the reported illegal gold mining activities in Southern Leyte and in Eastern Samar. MGB Regional Director Roger De Dios said they have to look into these illegal mining activities as these could trigger landslides just like what happened in Compostela Valley province. De Dios said a report received by his office showed there were illegal gold mining activities in San Ricardo and Saint Bernard, both in Southern Leyte, and in Balangiga, Eastern Samar. Balangiga Mayor Viscuso De Lira said he had informed the MGB office about gold extraction in his town. De Lira, in a phone interview, said gold panning in his town were located in barangays (villages) Cag-olango and Guinmaayohan, both upstream villages. Cag-olango is about 9 kilometers away from the town center with more than 600 residents while Guinmaayohan has over 1,500 residents and is 12 km from the town proper. “I sought assistance from the MGB as to the best way to address this concern. I have yet to make a move like for a possible relocation of the people in these areas,” De Lira said. He said he could not just order the people there to relocate as it would also mean economic dislocation for them. Residents in these villages rely on farming as their main livelihood source but with a high price of gold at P1,800 per ounce, there is now...
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