MINES AND GEOSCIENCES BUREAU

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

UPDATES ON THE REVITALIZATION OF THE

MINERALS INDUSTRY PROGRAM

The Revitalization of the Minerals Industry is a major program of the DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to spur economic development in the country including communities in the rural uplands. The activities of this program for the next twelve months program is detailed in a plan which has the following objectives:

· To revitalize the minerals industry to make it competitive and prosperous to fuel sustained economic growth and development;

· To contribute to poverty reduction with enhanced participation of, and benefits accruing to, local and indigenous communities; and

· To foster a sustainable and responsible minerals industry guided by life-of-the mine Best Practicable Environmental, Safety and Health and Social Management Practices.

The following table enumerates the actions; their indicators, impact and status; and the timeframe for their implementation.

DENR-MGB’S ACTION PLAN FOR THE MINERALS SECTOR

IN THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS (July, 2003 – June, 2004)

ACTIVITIES	TARGETS/ INDICATORS	TIMETABLE (2003-2004)				IMPACTS		REMARKS/ STATUS
		Q3	Q4	Q1	Q2
A. POLICY
1. Approval of the National Minerals Policy (NMP)	Framework Document signed by the President through an Executive Order (E.O.) (By October 2003)					Investor’s interest renewed		On-going discussions with Phil. Working Group (PWG) and minerals sector
	Foundation Document signed by the DENR Secretary through an Administrative Order (A.O.) (By Nov. 2003)							Scheduled regional consultations in Sept. & national conference in Nov.
2. Simplification of Procedures	Draft Administrative Order (A.O.) and Memorandum Order (M.O.)					Shortened processing time of mining applications		Under review by the Office of the DENR Secretary
3. Decentralization of Authorities
4.Guidelines On Abandoned mines	Administrative Order (A.O.) signed by the Secretary (November 2003)					Initiate action plan to facilitate final remediation of abandoned mines		For further discussions & consultations
5. Ore Transport Permit (OTP) for mineral transport, including exports	Administrative Order signed by Secretary (By October 2003)					Increased government revenues from mining		To prevent smuggling of treasures and certain minerals such as gold.
B. OPERATIONS
1. Operationalization of One-Stop-Shops
a) Mining Investment Assistance Center (MIAC)	Joint Memo Circular by the DENR and DTI. (By August 2003)						Facilitate access to information and advisory services; Fast-track area clearance issuances; Increased mining investments		Memo Circular for signature of DENR & DTI Secretaries
b) Regional One Stop Shop Committee (OSSC)	OSSC operationalized in all 15 MGB Regional Offices (By September)								OSSCs currently being organized in all regions
2. Information, Education and Communication Campaign
a) Regional Consultations, Study Tours & National Mining Conference	Regional workshops with local mine visits conducted (Scheduled Sept. 7-18, 2003) International study tours on selected mining operations (Scheduled Oct. 01-10, 2003) National Mining Conference (Scheduled Nov 10-11, 2003)					Better understanding of mining &minerals development, best practices in environ-mental protection, and community relations			Preparations on-going. This project is supported by World Bank, USAID, Govt of Japan, and the Canadian, & Australian embassies
b) Consultations and dialogues with various Civil Society groups/ Phil. Working Group (PWG)	Proposed National Minerals Policy adequately discussed; Field studies conducted; Action plans formulated								Small-group discussion and consultation process with Interim Working Group and larger Collaborative Group
c) Communication plan for the minerals sector	Communication Plan formulated and implemented Project Proposal for High-Impact IEC Activities								MGB IEC activities on-going at various levels/avenues; Proposal being formulated for possible funding.
3. Fast tracking of mining tenements and ECC approvals	Forty (40) MPSA/EPs issued					Increased investments in exploration activities and mining devt.			On-going
	ECC for 1 mining project facilitated								Technical working group formed with EMB to address ECC concerns
4. Assistance to mining projects to start up develop-ment & operation	Five (5) mining / mineral processing projects assisted and Mineral Processing Permits (MPP) issued					Increased investments in mining			Lafayette Phils., Inc. and Coral Bay Nickel Corp. have started devt works.
5. Addressing urgent mining concerns
a) Diwalwal	Issuance of Revised IRR of Proclamation No. 297 on the Diwalwal Mineral Reservation					Improved environmental & social conditions; Improved peace and order situation; Increase in gov’t revenues			Natural Resources Management & Devt. Corp. (NRMDC), incorporated, regist-ered, and capitalized at 100 million pesos. Recruitment & organization of staff on-going. ECC for interim dam issued. Preparations for construction now on-going Feasibility Study being completed EIA for the main dam on-going preparation
	Memorandum Of Agreement between NRMDC and DENR or NRDC forged
	Phasing in of NRMDC in the Diwalwal Direct State Devt Project
	Construction of an interim dam with initial capacity good for two (2) years (Operational by Sept)
	Feasibility Study and EIA for the main Mabatas Tailings Dam prepared (ECC by December; Construction by Mar 2004)
	Increased production from 120 to 450 TPD for the first 6 months after interim tailings dam construction & then increased to 750 TPD before the end of 2004 after construction of main dam.
b) Marcopper	Comprehensive environmental and health assessment implemented					Enhanced government credibility in implementing rules and regulations Improved environmental quality of mine sites			18-month study and review of options by USGS Team started in June 2003.
c) Maricalum