By Vanne Elaine Terrazola Senator Aquilino Pimentel III is supporting President Duterte's plan to implement a total mining ban in the country following the deadly landslides recently. Senator Aquilino Pimentel III
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) Pimentel on Saturday said he does not see a problem over the Chief Executive's plan to stop mining operations in the country, saying that these, anyway, put the country at a disadvantage not only environmentally, but also economically. The chair of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship said this as he observed that the Philippines does not earn from exporting raw ore materials to other countries. Pimentel said this could be another ground for halting mining operations aside from its destruction to the environment and danger brought to the lives of people, such as recently what happened in Itogon, Benguet after typhoon Ompong hit the country. "Ang nangyayari kasi sa mining industry natin, raw material lang ang inilalabas natin, eh. Wala tayong dinadagdag na value added (What happens in our mining industry, we only produce raw materials. We do not get profits from value added)," Pimentel said in a radio interview Saturday. Despite being paid for raw materials, Pimentel noted that this is not different from being a colony of a foreign country. Aside from this, he also noted that government only receives "little" from the remittance of mining companies. With this, Pimentel called for a review of the government's policies on mining since ending the operations of the country's mining industry may require legislation. But President Duterte, he said, may issue special orders, through Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to stop any mining company from operating due to the risks it may cause. "We should be pro-active to avoid tragedies," he said. The proposed total ban on mining, he said, would also put lawmakers' interest to a test. Pimentel also agreed that former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez was right about her stand against mining after all. He recalled favoring the confirmation of Lopez to the DENR, but said his hands were tied since his colleagues in the Commission on Appointment voted to reject her appointment.