BAGUIO CITY – The leadership of the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) underscored that Baguio City, the country’s undisputed Summer Capital, will remain as its home for the group’s annual gathering because of the significant contributions of mining to the state of development in the mountain resort city.
PMSEA president Dr. Walter Brown claimed that for over six and a half decades of the group’s existence, stakeholders had been a witness to how mining in Baguio’s environs contributed to the robust growth the city gained from large and small-scale mining activities through the years.
He added that the PMSEA’s annual gathering in the city is its own way of showing its support to what had mining already established in the city and for mining industry stakeholders to enjoy the city’s cool weather condition.
PMSEA is a volunteer organization composed of the members of the country’s mining industry and their suppliers who continue to advocate and promote responsible mining considering the benefits of mining to the development of communities that host the extractive industry.
Some 500 mining industry stakeholders, suppliers and contractors are in Baguio City purposely for the conduct of PMSEA’s Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference with the theme ’65 Years of Responsible Mining: Industry and Regulator Together in Advocating and Promoting Responsible Mining.’
Among the activities lined up by the PMSEA for its week-long gathering in the city include various sports competition, mine exhibit, mineral industry parade and competition, mining symposium and the Presidential Minerals Wards which will cap the occasion.
Brown emphasized that PMSEA is doing its part in instilling the appropriate practice of responsible mining among its members since the national government started to close the operations of erring mining companies and the group contributed in efforts to clarify the serious allegations against the mineral industry which had affected it over the past several years.
The PMSEA official underscored the industry learned to love the environment where they extract the minerals thus from right from the start, mining should already practice responsible mining until the bringing back of the mined out areas close to their original state.
He disclosed most PMSEA members could showcase their best practices in responsible mining and caring for the environment and the group is now at the forefront of advocating and promoting responsible mining because the co-existence of mining and the environment and the indigenous peoples living in their ancestral domain and local communities is the way to go.
Brown asserted mining is the only industry in the country that is mandated by law to apportion a substantial percentage of its income for environmental preservation and enhancement, social development and management, royalty, corporate social responsibility among other important aspects of development.
By Dexter A. See
BANNER PHOTO: Professional Regulation Commission – Mining Engineering Board Chairman Cornelio Casido administers the oath to the new mining engineers from the Cordillera region who recently passed the Mining Engineer Board examination as part of the 65th Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Association at the CAP John Hay Convention Center. RMC PIA-CAR
