MANILA, Philippines—Amid the escalating debate on the pros and cons of mining in the country, the Ateneo de Manila University on Thursday called for a moratorium on new mining projects of up to a year pending the issuance of more stringent regulations to promote sustainable practice.
In a memorandum sent to the university community on Thursday, Ateneo president Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin stated the university’s stand on the debate, saying responsible mining is still possible given better state regulation and industry transparency.
“We are aware of the serious consequences mining poses for our people, the economy and the environment. We note the tragic record of pillage and inequity and suffering that have been the result of unscrupulous mining and governance in the country. But we do not believe the solution lies in banning mining from the country,” Villarin said.
“We believe it is still possible for us to learn from the wrongs of the past and bring about serious change. We believe responsible mining is not an oxymoron. We look forward to working hard to make this possible,” said Villarin who is a scientist.
Echoing an earlier position issued by the university’s school of government, Villarin said no new mining projects should be allowed until the establishment of better guidelines relating to economic, environmental and cultural concerns surrounding mining.
“This stand calls for strengthening governance, transparency and capacity in this sector, and for applying a moratorium on approving new mining projects until specific governance conditions for responsible mining are in place,” Villarin said.
“We believe this time for strengthening governance to be necessary and wise in view of the long-term impact of mining on our future,” Villarin said.
Ateneo also supports Malacañang’s planned issuance of a new presidential order to promote responsible mining, committing to a multi-sectoral effort to make such reform possible.
“We are aware that there are opportunity costs in calling for a moratorium. Thus, we are committing ourselves as a University to assist our decision makers in setting these governance conditions in place as soon as possible, and to facilitate dialogue among stakeholders in this issue of mining,” Villarin said.
Late last year, Ateneo held a conference on mining, an event that invited criticism from the Chamber of Mines, the organization of mining firms in the Philippines, for allegedly being “anti-mining.”
Villarin had clarified then that the conference was an occasion for researchers to review academic papers of their peers and called for a dialogue with mining firms.