PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — Palawan will now implement a moratorium on endorsing small and large-scale mining applications for 50 years.
It was after the unanimous approval by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) in a special session on Wednesday, March 5, following the four committee hearings held in the month of February.
One of the authors, SP member Nieves Rosento, said collective efforts in emphasizing the importance of the mining moratorium played an important role in the passing of the ordinance.
“Ito ay para isulong ang kabutihang panlahat. Lahat tayo ay may responsibilidad, paano natin ma-i-imagine kung ang Palawan ay wala ng napakagandang kalikasan na meron tayo,” she said.
The moratorium covers applications for exploration permits, mining agreements, and financial or technical agreements in the province. It also prohibits expansion into new sites of existing mining companies.
The ordinance progressed to a third and final reading on February 26 after a series of committee hearings facilitated by the Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources. The committee gathered experts and legal opinions from various resource persons invited to the four committee hearings.
Before approval of the ordinance, some of the amendments raised were considering the span of moratorium as extendable and the creation of a moratorium monitoring council. The SP also aims to develop agrotourism as a flagship product of Palawan and offset potential losses from the moratorium.
Palawan governor Dennis Socrates admitted that his turning point to support the moratorium was the mining summit conducted in April 2024, saying that mining is not only a political issue but also a moral issue.
“Mining is really a moral issue. Dapat politika lang ‘yan, gusto mo ng mining o hindi, nagiging moral na because of the consideration ng mga napapansin ng mga obispo – malaking pera na nakukuha samantala ang nakukuha ng sambayanan ay maliit lamang pero ang nasisira ay napakalaki,” Socrates said.
The first draft of the ordinance was lodged in October 2024, however, it was only discussed at the SP in February 2025.
For about 30 years, the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) Executive Director Gerthie Mayo-Anda has advocated for a mining moratorium in Palawan. After passing the moratorium, ELAC will continue to conduct investigations into different complaints involving various mining companies operating in Palawan.
Currently, there are 11 existing mining applications in the province, wherein three are located in Bataraza, four in Brooke’s Point, two in Narra, and two in Quezon.
After the passing of the moratorium, the Catholic Church encouraged the public to have a discernment on electing officials in the upcoming midterm polls. Bishops in Palawan issued three pastoral letters in support of the moratorium in December.
“It took a lot of time, four months. Kung hindi pa tayo nag-pressure ay hindi mangyayari ang moratorium. Baka lumalim ang kanilang pang-unawa para sa kalikasan. Ang hamon ngayon ay magkilatis tayo,” said Father Roderick Caabay of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay.
The issuance of implementing rules and regulations (IRR) will soon follow after the approval of the ordinance, said the SP.
After the third committee hearing, the provincial legal office submitted a revised draft of the ordinance to the Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, declaring a 25-year moratorium on the issuance of endorsements for all large-scale mining applications in Palawan.
It was expanded to 50 years by the Committee and included small-scale applications before it was forwarded to the Sanggunian on February 21.
A mining firm that wishes to operate in the province needs to secure at least two endorsements at the barangay, municipal, or provincial level to have a Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) clearance from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD).
The PCSD was established through RA No. 7611, known as the SEP for the Palawan Act, to ensure protection and development of Palawan’s environment in a sustainable way.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) requires the SEP clearance to issue an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for a mining permit. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
