YAP VOWS TO LIFT STOPPAGE ORDER ON SMALL-SCALE MINING, SUPPORTS MOVE TO RE-CLASIFY SSM

May 14, 2022 Headlines

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet- Newly elected Benguet Representative Eric Yap, vowed to work for the lifting of the stoppage order on small-scale mining and likewise expressed his full support for the move of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to re-classify the practice of pocket mining.
“Ipapatigil ko ang stoppage order a small-scale mining,” Yap told mediamen, minutes after he and together with other provincial officials including re-elected governor Melchor Diclas were proclaimed as duly elected officials in the just-concluded May 9 local and national polls.
In doing so, first, Yap plans to have a dialogue with the new environment secretary, and also made sure to bring the head of the agency to Benguet to look into the operations of large and small-scale mining.
On the issue of Minahang Bayan (MB), Yap said, it’s high time that regulatory bodies must be accessible to expedite the processing of MB applications.
Yap sees no barriers to taking action on the matter as he rallied provincial officials headed by Gov. Diclas and leaders of other local government units (LGUs) to sustain their help to pocket miners.
In other related development, Representative Yap indicated all-out support in amending some provisions of Republic “ Act 7076 otherwise known as “People’s Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991,” and also some provisions of the IRR of the law—especially the “excessive” capitalization.
In Section 10 (Art III) Application to Enter into a Small-Scale Mining Contract (SSMC) states:” The authorized capitalization for an application for SSMC shall be P10-Million with a minimum paid-up capital of P625,000.
Earlier, pocket miners in Benguet complained about the “excessive” capitalization provisions of the IRR and joined other groups of SSM across the country in urging the government to amend some provisions of the law.
Yap added that he supports the move of DENR-MGB to re-classify small-scale mining. Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Director lawyer Wilfredo Moncano, in an exclusive interview during a recent mining stakeholders’ consultative forum, revealed that his agency has already submitted to Congress some proposed amendments of RA 7076, particularly in the reclassification of SSM.
Primo Agatep/ABN