Vice President Leni Robredo. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said she would scrap President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order (EO), which lifted the nine-year moratorium on new mining agreements if she wins in the May elections. “I am not for an absolute ban on mining but I am for more responsible mining,” she said at an online forum organized by Women Lawyers for Leni 2022. But Robredo said she would push for the passage of the National Land Use Act, which would identify no-mining zones in the country. “If I become president, I will certify as urgent the passage of the National Land Use Act, the passage of the Alternative Minerals Bill. But because it takes years to pass these measures, I will issue an EO already declaring no-mining areas,” she said. In April last year, Duterte issued Executive Order No. 130, which lifted the moratorium on new mining agreements to boost government revenues amid the pandemic. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources also lifted in December 2021 the four-year ban on open-pit mining.