MALACAÑANG backed Wednesday the decision of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to cancel the 75 mining contracts located in watersheds, saying it is consistent with the country's Mining Act that prohibits mining activities to watershed forest reserves.
“The cancellation of 75 mineral production sharing agreements by [Environment] Secretary Regina Lopez is consistent with Republic Act 7942 [that states] that mining applications are closed to proclaimed watershed forest reserves,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
In a bid to crackdown on illegal mining that destroy the environment, Lopez ordered Tuesday to cancel 75 mining agreements because the projects are located in watersheds.
The latest instruction was made just weeks after Lopez ordered the closure of 23 erring mining companies and the suspension of five others for damaging watersheds and for “indiscriminate” mining.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, in a phone-patch interview, said the mining companies have legal remedies under the law, thus, can file a motion for reconsideration.
Abella said the mining companies would still be given seven days to respond to the decision.
“As agreed upon in the last Cabinet meeting, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is to establish that it has gone through due process before enforcing the applicable laws, rules or regulations,” the presidential spokesperson said.
“The DENR is to issue a show cause order for concerned mining companies and they will be given seven days to reply,” he added. (VoxPop Philippines)
