0.6% of total employment. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the ecotouhsm, agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors have been found to be seriously threatened by the mining industry. Downstream mining activities are not necessarily promoted because our present mining law allows for export of our ores and processing elsewhere. Mining largely affects forest covers, watersheds, agricultural lands and water systems that sustain us. With only 10% forest cover, entry of mining projects will further threaten our biodiversity including important bird and key biodiversity areas. Other than land and water pollution, mining also causes coral reef degradation as tailings and siltation find its way to the sea, and eventually affects our food source. Mining concessions have encroached in areas where indigenous and rural communities, including farmers and fisher folks reside, and this threaten their health, food supply, livelihood, culture, integrity of their ancestral domain—their rights. Under the current system, mining is prioritized over other land uses. Further the current mining policy gives companies the right to water, timber, and easement, and to use explosives. Many cases of mining-related conflicts, violence and human rights violations have been documented and reported, most of which are continuing and remain unaddressed. This is aggravated by the presence of paramilitary forces in mining areas, also allowed for by the government. Needless to say, the present law has allowed for the plunder o f our finite mineral resources at the expense of the environment and the Filipino people. The present mining law, an outdated one, also has not considered the occurrence of impacts of climate change and disaster risks. In the past five years alone, many large-scale mining-related disasters have been reported. The Philippines is among the top five most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. Mining operations and climate-induced extreme weather events aggravate the impacts of disasters to the ecosystem and communities. There is a need to overhaul the current mining policy framework to ensure the