Iloilo City – The Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Regional Office 6 (MGB RO-6) conducted a training workshop for the permit holders, the Mine Rehabilitation Fund Committee (MRFC) and Multi-partite Monitoring Team (MMT) in Region 6 to strengthen the implementation and monitoring systems of the safety, health, environment and social development programs mandated of mining projects.
MGB RO-6 Regional Director Roger A. de Dios stressed that “there is a need to standardize and simplify how the different mandatory programs are implemented to ensure the safety, health, environmental protection and social development of host and neighboring communities of mining projects for these programs to be effective and can be measured and monitored by the MMT.”
Ninety-five participants composed of permit holders, members of the Mine Rehabilitation Fund Committees (MRFC) and the Multi-partite Monitoring Teams (MMT) in Region 6 attended the training on April 23-24, 2019 at the Goldberry Lite Hotel.
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Director Dr. Sophie T. Manuel said in her message that fostering partnerships and sustaining environmental management efforts is a concern of everyone. She urged everyone, “let us do our share and meet our commitments in ensuring that environmental protection is equally prioritized while achieving our development goals.”
A pool of resource persons from MGB and EMB regional offices offered an extensive package of information on the following topics: Applicable Environmental Laws in Relation to Mining Projects and Permit Requirements; The Role of EMB in the Compliance of Environmental Requirements; Standardization of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program (EPEP), Social Development Management Program (SDMP), Safety and Health Programs; Standardization in the Conduct of Compliance Monitoring; Compliance monitoring and Validation Report based on Annex A of DAO 2015-02, and the Requirements for the Community Environmental Management and Community Relations Record (CEMCRR). The participants were grouped during the workshops to come up with proposals on the standardization of the work programs.
RD de Dios said that the aim in improving the implementation of these programs is to maximize the benefits from mining projects and create impacts that can be felt by the host communities. (MGB RO-6)