Small-scale mining

- pick-and-shovel operations
- unscrupulous foreign investors were funding them to use equipment and dynamite to dig deeper for ore.

Small- scale mining Large-Scale Mining Pocket mining

small-scale miners are supposed to large-scale mining are closely
be restricted to pick-and-shovel monitored, unlike small-scale miners
operations
unscrupulous foreign investors
were funding them to use
equipment and dynamite to dig
deeper for ore. foreign metal
traders, in an attempt to avoid
rigorous mining requirements,
were using Filipino “dummies” in
small-scale operations that in fact
extracted massive amounts using
machinery and harmful
chemicals.

Apart from endangering the lives

of poor mining workers and
destroying the environment,
illegal small-scale miners do not
pay taxes and are the breeding
ground of other social ills, such as
child labor, prostitution, illegal
drugs, gun running, and use of
banned toxic chemicals

Illegal small-scale minining does

not employ the same stringent
safety practices required of
legitimate large-scale mining
operators

Issues:

 large-scale mining companies, likewise, operate using heavy equipment, including

backhoes, dump truck, pay loaders and conveyors, and are “pretending” to be
small scale.
 Some of the holes [entry point of a tunnel] are so big that a truck can get in to
haul [ores]. They also have conveyors
  “out of control” illegal small-scale mining activities and that the government can
do more by strictly enforcing the law
 We at the chamber are not against small scale. They have their purpose. But small-
scale miners are really out of control
 Largely unregulated, small-scale gold mining used to comprise 75 percent of the
country’s annual gold output
 not keen on recommending a nationwide ban on small-scale mining, saying it will
deprive small-scale miners the access to the country’s natural wealth.

Recommendations:

 The Philippine government should check metal import statistics from China and other countries and compare
these with exports from the Philippines in order to determine the extent of illegal mining in the country.

 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources should be in charge even of small-scale mining until
local government units have attained the technical competence to deal with mining operations.

 Small-mining operations should be legalized and not left to the discretion of LGUs.
 government to take a tougher stance on illegal mining operations in the country
 The first phase is to stop (small-scale mining), second stage is to relocate them out of those very
dangerous areas because we have issued a geohazard map all over the country
 extension of the tenure of the regulated small-scale miners from the existing
two years, which he said, was too short and may result in miners going back to
their unregulated and dangerous operations.
 not keen on imposing a total ban, saying such will deprive tens of thousands of
artisanal small-scale gold miners. It is the livelihood of small miners. I am not
against small-scale mining, but we need to regulate mining.
 legalize the sector by establishing more Minahang Bayan where small-scale mining
activities are robust, such as in the Cordillera region, and generate revenues both
for the national government and local government units (LGUs)

 stop illegal small-scale mining activities. The police and military will also be tapped
as the task force’s enforcement arm.

 “We will legalize and properly supervise small-scale mining, including tax
collection
 LGUs that tolerate illegal small-scale mining will also be investigated, as he was
informed that some local officials are also into the business of small-scale mining.