BIZ BUZZ: To go to court or not

It’s always the last resort, but certain industry stakeholders are prepared to go to court to catalyze mining projects that have long languished in the pipeline.

Chamber of Mines of the Philippines chair Michael Toledo said a lawsuit might be necessary if certain policies get in the way of the development of a mining project.

“We all know without mentioning the project that it took more than 30 years for this project to take off simply because there was a local ordinance that went against the national law. How come a local ordinance [could] be beyond a statute for a national law?” Toledo asked during the Digging Deeper Mining Policy Forum held in Mandaluyong.

“We will now definitely question it if we need to [file] a class action suit if possible, but hopefully, that will be prevented when we come up with clear policies on how LGUs (local government units) should deal with the national government and comply with the laws of the land,” he added.

While Toledo did not name the project, he may be referring to the Tampakan copper-gold project in South Cotabato. Its proponent, Sagittarius Mines Inc. of the Sy family, has grappled with multiple delays because of conflicting national laws and local ordinances, specifically the ban on open pit mining imposed by the LGU.

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As of this year, the Tampakan project has yet to commence commercial operations, although some companies have signified interest to buy into Southeast Asia’s biggest untapped gold-copper reserve.

Amid these uncertainties, the mining sector is counting on the Marcos administration to revitalize the mining sector to boost economic growth.