“If the big mining companies do not commit themselves to responsible mining, they must be told in no uncertain terms that they must shape up or ship out.

Make no mistake about it, President Rodrigo Duterte is determined to institute “radical reforms” in the country’s mining sector.

Here’s what Duterte said in his third State of the Nation Address last 23 July: “I say this once again and maybe for the last time, do not destroy the environment or compromise our resources. You can no longer fish in the rivers. It’s all contaminated and the color is not even brown or purple or white. It’s black.”

But has he been barking up the wrong tree and targeting the wrong people?

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines and Philippine Mining and Exploration Association insist that while they support the President’s stand, they’re not the ones at fault but the small-scale miners who have been violating government regulations.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) even supports the big mining companies in this regard. A DENR official conceded that “small-scale mining is the problem,” as large-scale miners are “easier to manage since they have the capacity to rehabilitate sites.”

The DENR, therefore, is now fast-tracking the delineation of specific areas for “Minahang Bayan,” a program to legalize small-scale mining operations throughout the country.

The Alyansa Tigil Mina, meanwhile, has been urging Duterte to cut incentives given to the mining industry to ensure that the administration is “really doing its part in protecting the environment. We need concrete policies.”

At any rate, we fully support initiatives that would uphold environmental protection even as government should be able to collect the proper taxes from the mining industry.

Responsible mining really means the extraction of minerals such as gold, silver, copper and nickel should be undertaken with due consideration to preserving the environment so that future generations of Filipinos should still be able to benefit from the country’s natural resources. If the big mining companies do not commit themselves to responsible mining, they must be told in no uncertain terms that they must shape up or ship out.

How are Philippines-China relations two years into the Duterte administration?

In his remarks at the reception marking the 91st Founding Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the People’s Republic of China last 27 July, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua pointed out that as a result of what he described as the “comprehensive turnaround and betterment of China-Philippines relations” since 2016, military-to-military cooperation and exchanges between the two countries have significantly increased.

The Chinese envoy explained that China and the Philippines have resumed their annual defense and security talks. China’s Defense Minister also paid a friendly visit to the Philippines last year. The past two years also witnessed increasing exchanges of visits at various levels and training programs between the two armed forces and military academies.

“Small-scale mining is the problem, as large-scale miners are easier to manage.

Last year, China also provided two batches of weapons and ammunition to the Philippines to support the government’s campaign against terrorism in Marawi. The third batch of military assistance was recently turned over to the Philippine side to assist in our efforts to neutralize terrorism and violent extremism.

The security cooperation between the Philippines and China is part and parcel of expanded relations. Since 2016, China and the Philippines have conducted high-level exchanges and enhanced cooperation in trade and investments, infrastructure, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, poverty alleviation and law enforcement.

Since the two countries are neighbors, Zhao emphasized, “we are determined to level up our friendship and partnership and bring more tangible benefits to our two nations and peoples. We do have our differences, but both countries have agreed to manage them through dialogue and consultation, so as not to jeopardize the growth of overall relations.I am convinced that so long as we remain committed to the spirit of good-neighborliness, (seek) win-win solutions and peacefully settle differences, we can make concerted efforts to advance the common interests of our two countries.”