EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE P H IL IP P IN E S
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F irst R egular Session
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SrrH'Mc
ol tlic
SENATE
S. No
•19
J U L ll
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P 1 :10
353
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INTRODUCED BY SENATOR R ISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
TO
REGULATE THE
R ATIO NAL
EXPLORATION,
DEVELOPMENT AND
U T IL IZ A T IO N OF M IN ER AL RESOURCES, AND TO ENSURE THE EQUITABLE
SHARING OF BENEFITS FOR THE STATE, IN D IG E N O U S PEOPLES AND LOCAL
C O M M U N ITIES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Philippines holds a large reserve of mineral resources and is considered as
among the most mineralized countries in the world. It is 3rd richest in the world for gold
per unit area, 4th richest in copper, 5th in nickel, and 6th for chromite. These mineral
resources have been sought to contribute to national development, however in the past
twenty years, the mining industry has not contributed significantly to the economy and
even caused negative impacts to communities, including detrimental environmental
destructions where the mines are located.
The present mining law (Republic Act 7942) has clearly failed to regulate the
development and exploitation of our mineral resources in a way where benefits are
maximized by Filipino communities and by the State, with mitigated impacts to other
environmental and natural resources, industries and the rights of Filipino communities.
The present fiscal regime for mining does not allow us to maximize the benefits of our
non-renewable resource.
Mining as an economic activity is not only an issue of resource use but also
concerns water and food security, environment, human rights and indigenous people's
rights and a rights-based approach to sustainable development.
In the past decade, the mining industry has only contributed an annual average
of 0.7-1% to the Gross Domestic Product compared to other industries because the
government receives only 2% excise tax share, and employs 200,000-250,000 or only