Davao Region

Mining engineers urged to practice and communicate responsible mining

By Jeanevive D. Abangan

Friday 15th of June 2012

DAVAO CITY, June 15 (PIA) -- Mining engineers of this year’s Mining Engineers Convention (MINECON) were encouraged to practice and communicate responsible mining.

Addressing about 500 mining-engineer participants, mining consultant Rufino B. Bomasang told them to make sure that the companies they work with are applying the principles of responsible mining, which he cited as similar to sustainable development.

He quoted the United Nations definition of sustainable development as a development, “that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.”

Citing such definition, Bomasang looked at sustainable development to have three vital elements which are economic viability, environmental compatibility, and social acceptance.

Looking at responsible mining from the viewpoint of sustainable development, Bomaslang said the absence of the three elements in a mining project would mean failure to meet the classification as responsible mining.

He admitted that some mining projects in the past failed to meet the standards of responsible mining, and had not integrated economic viability, environmental protection and social acceptance.

“I don’t blame the environmentalists for harping on these,” he said referring to a number of mining blunders in the past. However, he believed that large scale mining companies have shifted their mining practices based on the prescription of the 1995 Philippine Mining Act.

He gave credit to government’s mining regulatory bodies such as the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB), the Environment Management Bureau (EMB), and even the mining companies “for setting high standards” of mining practices.

Meanwhile, Bomasang asked mining engineers to communicate the responsible mining practices, which have been integrated especially in large-scale mining operation.

But he cautioned them to “mean what they say” and put into practice what they are claiming.

He also encouraged them to always seek improvement of their profession as the time calls for mining engineers to become more efficient.

Bomasang discussed the essence of this year’s MINECON theme, “Mining Engineering Profession: Meeting the Challenges of the Present Society.”

Meanwhile, the Philippine Society of Mining Engineers (PSME) national board president Ceasar I. Lao-as explained that this year’s MINECON aims “to strengthen the capability of mining engineers” as they are facing present challenges anchored on complicated environmental issues.

Aside from cooperation and understanding of stakeholders, players and the community, Lao-as counted education and training as among the major components to sharpen the efficiency of mining engineers to meet the challenges of times.

Among the educational inputs of this year’s MINECON are Mining Policy Updates, Philippine Energy Development Program, A Review of the Value Chain Analysis of Mineral Development in Davao, Underground Mining, Electronic Detonators, The National Greening Program, Mine Rehab and Decommissioning Plan. (PIA-11/Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)