Manila: President Rodrigo Duterte will re-appoint Environment Secretary Regina “Gina” Lopez as the Commission on Appointment was expected to defer her appointment again - in response to her controversial decision to suspend 28 mining firms and cancel 75 other mining contracts, a lawmaker said.
“I’m sure the President will re-appoint her. She is deemed bypassed by Wednesday,” predicted Sen. Manny Pacquiao, head of CA’s environment division, adding that Lopez has a “50-50 chance” of getting CA’s approval ahead of the Congressional recess on March 12.
“In May, we will re-open the hearing. We still have a lot of questions for her – such as competence,” said Pacquiao.
On Monday, Duterte threatened to declare a total mining ban, adding, “I know the mining firms are funding the opposite side. I know that some of you are giving funding to the other side to destabilize me. It appalls us that even as firms lobby for mining rights they want to change the president, to bend my knees as they do their bidding.”
Arguing for Lopez’ appointment, Duterte said, “Is Gina a liar? No.” He added, “How can you (CA members) argue with Gina when she is confronting you with a visual thing (of how mining firms have destroyed the environment)? Give me a redeeming factor, something which I can hang on to, to drop Gina. There is no redeeming factor (in rejecting her appointment).”
Not worried to lose revenues with the closure of mining companies that destroy the environment, Duterte argued, “We can live without it. I would rather follow Gina. Let’s get the P70 billion (Dh5.83 billion) somewhere else and preserve the environment. Let’s not fool each other.”
Reacting to Duterte’s support, Lopez said, “I am deeply and profoundly touched by the support of the president. He is the real thing. He is not plastic at all. He deeply cares for our people, for the country.”
“I continue to be touched by his courage at supporting my controversial decisions. I will continue to be his ally for all that is good and true and noble for the country,” said Lopez who went abroad before the CA could vote on her appointment on Wednesday.
Surprised by Duterte’s stubborn support for Lopez, Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez told CA members on Tuesday, “I cannot read the President’s mind and I don’t know what he meant.”
“There are processes to be followed. I am certain that when an appeal (by mining firms) is made before the Office of the President, they will hear the appeal and that’s the matter of the law,” explained Dominguez, adding, “I believe there was some kind of failure in the discharge of due process (by Lopez). My job here is to make sure that deficiencies of others are covered.”
A close ally of Duterte, Dominguez co-chairs with Lopez, the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) – it has decided to undertake another review of the closure and suspension of 28 mining after the affected mining firms made an appeal before Duterte.
In February, Lopez allowed only 13 (out of 41) mining firms to operate. The closure order affected 17 cities and municipalities in 10 provinces.
About 30 million hectares of land in the Philippines have an estimated $1.4 trillion worth of reserves in aluminum, chromite, copper, and gold. Metal deposit is estimated at 21.5 billion metric tonnes; non- metallic deposits, 19.3 billion metric tonnes. About 999 approved mining applications cover only one million hectares of lands nationwide.
Philippine minerals exported to Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, United States, and the United Kingdom earned $3.2 billion in 2010, $4 billion in 2015.
