MANILA: Philippine Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu said on Wednesday that he will uphold President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 plans to ban open-pit mining.
鈥淲e will eventually abide by the instruction of the president to stop open-pit mining in the future,鈥� Cimatu told lawmakers during a confirmation hearing in Congress.
Duterte said last month he agreed with banning open-pit mining in the world鈥檚 top nickel ore exporter, given the environmental damage it causes, but would give mining firms time to find other ways to extract minerals.
Open-pit mining is formally allowed under the Philippines鈥� mining law, but Cimatu鈥檚 predecessor, Regina Lopez, slapped a ban on it during the 10 months she spent in office before being forced out after failing to win congressional confirmation.