At the Bio+Mine Grow Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Workshop held on 28 October 2025 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, experts, policymakers, and community leaders gathered to discuss how mining in the Philippines can move beyond symbolic initiatives and produce measurable, lasting change. Hosted by De La Salle University’s Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development Research (CESDR), the workshop emphasized turning knowledge into action and ensuring that sustainability efforts lead to authentic transformation within the industry.

The Bio+Mine project: From ‘cradle to cradle’

Professor Richard Herrington of the United Kingdom’s Natural History Museum presented the Bio+Mine Project: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Rehabilitating Legacy Mines. The initiative seeks to transform the mining sector through what it calls a “cradle to cradle” approach—where mining sites are designed, managed, and rehabilitated so that they remain productive ecosystems even after extraction ends.

Unlike the conventional “cradle to grave” model that leaves behind barren land, the Bio+Mine model focuses on circular sustainability. It integrates bioengineering, community engagement, and remote sensing technologies to restore degraded areas.

One of its pilot sites, Sto. Niño in Benguet, is already seeing results. Once abandoned after years of mining, the area has been revived through bioremediation techniques such as using microorganisms to clean waste, replanting native vegetation, and applying limestone bed treatments to purify contaminated water. A “digital twin” of the site, created through satellite and data mapping, allows scientists to track environmental recovery remotely.

The project’s collaborative structure is international in scope. It includes partners such as the Natural History Museum and Imperial College London (United Kingdom), De La Salle University and Mindanao State University–IIT (Philippines), and the University of New South Wales (Australia). It has received £1.5 million in funding from the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate and additional support from the Claude and Sofia Marion Foundation, ensuring operations through 2030.

Ground-level success and local impact

Bio+Mine’s success in Sto. Niño goes beyond science. Community members—particularly Indigenous Peoples—have spoken highly of the project’s respect for their customs and involvement in decision-making. Locals were trained to understand heavy metal pollution and rehabilitate their own land. Within six months, many had already seen positive cash flow from new livelihood programs, reducing dependence on external aid.

“Bio+Mine project is so different from those researchers that conducted research in our community. They are really respectful of the custom and tradition of our community,” one local said.

Another community member shared, “We gained knowledge about the heavy metal pollution present in the soil and the water resulting from mining activities.”

This integration of science, policy, and community empowerment exemplifies what real sustainability looks like. True development outlasts its funding cycle and empowers people long after the projects end.

The policy shift: From extraction to empowerment

Attorney Ronald S. Recidoro, Executive Director of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, emphasized that genuine reform requires structural change. He shared that the Chamber is working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to align mining policy with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

He made it clear that mining companies must move beyond token acts of goodwill. He expressed that mining companies do not give charity to locals, and that rehabilitation and sustainable programs are not corporate philanthropy. Instead, it seeks to give back after companies have taken from the land and communities. Under the proposed reforms, miners would be required to allocate at least 1.5 percent of their operating budget to sustainable development projects, with measurable metrics and third-party audits ensuring accountability.

The Chamber also envisions a tripartite Memorandum of Agreement among mining companies, the government, and Indigenous communities to institutionalize transparency and prevent superficial compliance. Proposed metrics would require companies to improve their project areas by at least 10 percent compared to their pre-mining condition.

Defining abandoned and inactive mines

Forester Teodorico L. Marquez Jr. from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) explained the agency’s efforts to rehabilitate the country’s abandoned and inactive mines. According to MGB, there are at least 27 legacy mines across the Philippines that need urgent rehabilitation. Working with Tetra Tech EM Inc., the bureau conducted a risk assessment of 22 sites to identify those posing the greatest environmental and community hazards.

Their assessment led to Sto. Niño being chosen as the pilot site for the Bio+Mine project. The approach, called Calibrated Rehabilitation, aims to restore ecological balance while considering the possibility of safely reopening mines with modern sustainability standards.

Listening to communities, not dictating outcomes

During the open forum, panelists agreed that sustainability is site-specific. Each community defines what “rehabilitation” means to them: Some prefer reforestation and rewilding, others prefer solar infrastructure or education programs. What matters, they stressed, is that decision-making must begin with listening, not imposing.

They also noted that while large-scale mining often dominates the conversation, small-scale artisanal mining contributes significantly to local economies. However, it is also where most environmental damage occurs. Future reform efforts must engage small miners rather than marginalize them.

Toward genuine reform and accountability

The Bio+Mine workshop underscored a shared vision: that mining can and must be done responsibly. Real reform lies not in optics, but in clear, transparent systems of accountability, equitable community partnerships, and scientifically grounded rehabilitation.

By combining technology, governance, and grassroots empowerment, the Bio+Mine Project and its partners aim to turn the mining sector into a driver of ecological restoration, not degradation.

As the Philippines looks toward a more sustainable mining future, the challenge now is consistency. Policymakers, scientists, and local communities must continue to collaborate and hold one another accountable. The success of Sto. Niño should not remain an exception—it must become the new standard for how we mine, rehabilitate, and rebuild.