Small-scale miners urged to organize, promote responsible mining

By Peter A. Balocnit

Monday 9th of July 2012

TABUK CITY, Kalinga, July 9 (PIA) -- A regional-based small-scale miners federation wants pocket miners in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) provinces organized to promote responsible small-scale mining in the region.

Benguet Federation of Small Scale Miners Inc. Secretary General Leoncio Na-oy had an audience with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Tuesday to get legislative support for their proposal to federate all small-scale miners in the region.

Na-oy presented the many advantages of having an organized group with its own constitution and by-laws. He said regulating small-scale mining aims to ensure safety of the miners themselves and protection of the environmental.

“We are trying to promote safety standards in the workplace for everybody to respect, observe and comply with,” Na-oy said, adding that small-scale miners must also enroll for Philhealth membership and life insurance.

He said that under a federated regional small-scale miners association, toxic chemicals like mercury used in gold extraction will be discouraged.

“Responsible small-scale mining also means protecting the environment from pollution, thereby shifting to safer methods of mineral extraction,” Na-oy stressed. (PAB/PIA-CAR/Kalinga)