Secretary Roy A. Cimatu of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) ordered the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to review all
small-scale mining areas identified under Minahang Bayan for geological
hazards.
The said Minahang Bayan is a program under the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources aimed at regulating small-scale mining
operations nationwide.
“We will be stricter in approving Minahang Bayan sites, and affirm
whether they conform to standards that are safe especially for the miners,” Mr.
Cimatu said in a statement last Tuesday.
This comes after cancelling all temporary permits of small-scale mining
operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region yesterday as a response to
the fatal landslide caused by Typhoon Ompong in Itogon, Benguet.
The MGB was also tasked to ensure that the shelters these small-scale
miners were currently residing in are safe as well.
“Their (small-scale miners) residences should be far enough from
identified geohazard areas,” Mr. Cimatu said. The review will also revisit and
compare geohazard maps against known mining sites to avoid a repeat of the
Itogon tragedy. (BusinessWorld)
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