Answering Critical Questions on Small-scale Mining in the Philippines

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This Policy Note revisits the Philippine small-scale mining and its promise in ensuring employment and economic opportunities. Among others, it finds that informality besets the small-scale mining sector. Behind this problem are several institutional, regulatory, and social issues confronting the sector and its stakeholders. For instance, the study reveals that its regulatory boards are not representative of key stakeholders that can contribute positively to the development of small-scale mining. Moreover, enforcement of mining laws has become an avenue for extortion by scrupulous government personnel. To date, child labor also pervades the sector. To address these concerns, the study recommends the formalization of the small-scale mining sector through the implementation of a national research program, sector profiling, and stakeholder analysis. It also calls for the balancing of the composition of regulatory boards to allow more stakeholder representation. It also urges the enhancement and strict implementation of the People’s Small-scale Mining Program as indicated in the Small-scale Mining Act.