Nickel Asia Corporation and its four operating companies joined fellow Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) members in a major step towards institutionalizing responsiuble mining in the Philippines.
During simple rites held last December 19, 2017 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Pasig, Gerard Brimo, NAC President and CEO (and also concurrent chairman of COMP) and Martin Antonio Zamora, NAC Executive Vice President joined fellow executives from COMP member companies in the signing of two major documents that seek to institutionalize what many member companies are already practicing on their own – sustainable and responsible mining.
First to be signed was the partnership agreement between the COMP and the Mining Association of Canada (MAC), whereby COMP adopted the latter’s “Toward Sustainable Mining” (TSM) initiative. Launched by MAC in 2004, TSM requires mining companies to annually assess their performance in key areas including talings management, community outreach, biodiversity management and energy use, and the results of these assessments are available for the public to reviww. Furthermore, the resuts are externally verified every three years, ensuring that TSM is assessed independently of the interests of the mining companies.
As is the case for all members of MAC, COMP is adopting TSM as a mandatory program for all its members, and will also implement a similar independent advisory and assessment process.
In his remarks during the signing that was witnessed by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, COMP chair Brimo said “There is so much that minerals development, done responsibly, can contribute to the economy of a nation and to the welfare of mining communities, as shown by numerous exmaples in the Philippines. The adoption of TSM by members of the Chamber of Mines is intended to institutionalize practices that secure these contibutions for the long term.”
The adoption by COMP of TSM makes it the first industry association in Southeast Asia and the fourth national mining association outside Canada to do so. TSM has previously been adopted by the mining associations in Finland, Argentina, and Botswana.
Immediately following the TSM signing, members of the Chamber of Mines adopted “The Baguio Declaration” as a response to the challenge posed by DENR Sec Cimatu to be a greater contirbutor to national development during his speech at the 64th Annual Mine Safety conference in Baguio last November 24. This served as an impetus for the Chmber leadership to fatstrack a number of initiatuves already in the pipeline since the June 2017 Mining Philippines Conference, with The Baguio Declaration (and the earlier adoption of TSM) as its most prominent result.
The Decaration has five main elements: 1) Responsible Minerals Development is People-Oriented; 2) Responsible Minerls Development Protects and Enhances the Environment; 3) Responsible Minerals Development Respects the Righst and wefare of Indigenous Peioples; 4) Responsible Minerals Development Contributes its fair share to the National Economy; and 5) Responsible Minerals Development is Effivient, Competitive and complies with Internatonal Standards.
In his remarks as chairman of the board of trustees of COMP, Brimo said “The Baguio Declaration puts in black and white the key principles that many members of the Chamber have already incorporated in their operations. Through this Declaration, we are elevating the principles of responsible and sustainable mining by institutionalizing them as principles of the Chamber itself.”
In response, Sec. Cimatu expressed happiness that the COMP members “have accepted my challenge to the industry, so quickly because I only made it last month”, referring to his Baguio speech. “I look forward tio more meaningful collaboration between the DENR and the private sector in minerals development to ensure even greater benefit for our people.”
Representative from over 30 members of COMP signed the Baguio
Delclaration, with Sec. Cimatu signing on behalf of the DENR. For NAC
and its operating companies the signatories were Mr. Brimo and Mr.
Zamora.
