With the Philippine mining industry under the spotlight in recent months, several mining companies have already taken measures to ensure that they are employing environment-friendly practices in their operations, in accordance with the Philippine Mining Act.
Melody Aguiba of The Philippine Star reported that companies such as Taganito Mining Corp. and Nickel Asia Corp. have already begun utilizing coconut coir to stabilize the slopes in mine tailing ponds. Greenstone, Atlas Mining and PGMP are also reported to have adopted the installation of coco nets.
The partnership between coco coir producers and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau is in line with efforts to boost domestic sales of coco coir, which is currently close to P200 million, reports Aguiba.
“With the order of closure of mines by DENR Secretary (Gina) Lopez, there should be rehabilitation of mines, and it should be with the use of indigenous materials like coconut fiber. That will be an expansion for new markets for coconut producers,” says Luz Brenda P. Balibrea, trade information and relations chief of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
In January, CNPC CEO Engr. Noel T. Florido was invited to be a speaker at the Coco Coir Summit held in Narra, Palawan, with the aim to give insights on the importance of coco coir and its market to help people whose livelihood have been affected by the mining closures in the province.
Read more about Engr. Noel’s talk with the mining sector here.