Benguet small-scale mining groups told to employ mining, safety engineer

March 24, 2019 Provincial

ITOGON, Benguet —The Benguet Federation of Small Scale Miners, Inc. (BFSSM) is requiring all its member associations to employ the services of safety supervisor and mining engineer to ensure the safety of small-scale miners and the protection of the environment.
“We will be enforcing each of our member associations to employ the services of safety inspector and mining engineer to assist them in their mining operations,” BFSSM president Lomino Kaniteng said.
“Small-scale miners looked at it as an additional expense to hire mining and safety engineers, but the federation is going to enforce it,” he added.
This BFSSM directive is also in compliance with government mining laws and regulations.
Before the move, BFSSM official Health and Safety Handbooks had been issued to their member associations to guide them in their operations.
Kaniteng said that regular seminars on safety were held in cooperation with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)- Cordillera, and safety engineers from the large scale mining companies operating in Benguet.
Regular clean up drives in the rivers near small-scale mining operations were also conducted.
In other development, Kaniteng clarified that small scale mining license is just one of the requirements in applying for a small-scale mining permit (contract).
Kaniteng said many thought that once a small mining license is issued by (MGB), it will allow them to operate. “No, the license does not allow them to operate immediately,” Kaniteng clarified. “All small scale miners applying for a small scale mining contract must first register with the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board (PMRB).
Prior to that, they should have secured a license duly approved by MGB,” Kaniteng said. MGB-Cordillera said there are initially 41 small-scale mining associations to date, mostly in Itogon, Benguet applying for Small Scale Mining Contract (SMMC).
Some of the mandatory requirements for SMMC include: Small scale miners’ license duly registered with the Board; Location map of the proposed small-scale mining contract area showing its geographic coordinates and boundaries in relation to the MB; and a sketch plan of the proposed small-scale mining contract area duly prepared and signed by a deputized geodetic engineer.
Other processing requirements for SSMC’s are: Potential Environmental Impact Management Plan (PEIMP); Community Development and Management Program (CDMP); and Annual Safety and Health Program (ASHP).
Kaniteng said their federation is constantly assisting their members in the processing of their papers.
He said their federation is presently composed of 20 active small-scale mining associations, numbering to more than 19,000 pocket miners, operating mostly in the municipalities of Itogon and Tuba.
 
Primo Agatep/ABN