Mining allows green technology to flourish on top of economic benefits such as the generation of revenues and jobs to uplift the lives and promote the welfare of the people, particularly in far-flung areas, according to businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan.
 
As Philex Mining Corporation chairman, Pangilinan makes his case for the mining sector in a speech during the 2023 Mining Philippines International Conference and Exhibition on Wednesday, Sept. 20, stressing that mining is important in the production of e-vehicles and batteries – which will require nickel, graphite, aluminum, and copper which constitute their metal bodies and batteries.  
 
Panel and wind farms need steel, arsenic, gallium, germanium, indium, and tellurium. Wind turbines need aluminum and a number of rare earth compounds to make their generators lighter and more efficient.
 
“I would then argue that in many respects, sustainability rests on green technology and, by extension, reliance on mining would continue,” he said.
 
Moreover, Pangilinan said in the migration from fossil fuel to e-vehicles, charging stations would have to be built but would be impossible to do so without metals.
 
“Beyond minerals, mining means jobs and incomes for our people, especially since mines are typically located in rural areas, where poverty exists and jobs are scarce,” he said.
 
At a press briefing at the sideline of the event, Pangilinan said that, in the countryside and rural areas, mining brings about economic benefits, helping people escape poverty through job generation, and national and local government taxes paid by mining companies are translated to projects and better social services that benefit the people.
 
According to Pangilinan, the world is now entering an era of sustained resource demand as economies expand and the population explodes.
 
“The Philippines missed the economic bus during the manufacturing cycle in the 50s and 60s, and the export boom in the 70s and 80s.  This time, we cannot miss this bus yet again, with our available mineral resource base,” he said.
 
Pangilinan warned that, if the Philippines fails to board the bus, it would leave the country no option but to import, which means paying for someone else’s cost of mineral products, and their profits, plus the cost of protecting the environment.
 
“This is not only absurd, it is also sad-too lazy to exploit our inherent mineral wealth—and an insult to us when others – the South Africans, Australians, Indonesians, and Chinese – operate and manage their mining businesses well enough,” he stressed.
 
Pangilinan said that if these countries can conduct their mining operations responsibly and sustainably, so can the Philippines, adding that the industry has to further level up when it comes to sustainability practices and standards.
 
Nevertheless, he maintained that an industry should not be judged based on its worst members.
 
Sustainability confronting the industry should be properly addressed, including health-related and safety concerns, exploitation of women and child workers, lack of clarity of plans, and actionable post-mining rehabilitation that can restore mine sites to their original state.
 
Hence, he said the private sector should help the government raise its supervising capabilities through funding of scholarship and training both here and abroad.
 
Lastly, he said separating the functions of regulation and the promotion of industry is a must.
 
He said the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) should be in charge of the promotion, development, and supervision of mining, while the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) is mandated to enforce environmental laws, both of which fall under the jurisdiction of the DENR, and the conflicting goals at times place the DENR in policy dilemma.
 
To address this, he suggests spinning off the EMB into a separate and independent body, similar to the Environmental Protection Agency in the US, hence avoiding the need to create a new department with a separate budget. – JAMES A. LOYOLA