The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is crafting a model ordinance that will standardize requirements imposed by local government units (LGUs) on mining projects.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), meanwhile, will submit to Malacanang this month a draft executive order (EO) providing for a clear-cut policy on mining royalties. One provision puts a ceiling on royalties.
Ernesto Perez, Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) director general, said at the Mining Philippines Policy Forum in Mandaluyong City yesterday the agency will streamline the permitting process in mining to attract more investments while addressing environmental concerns.
Perez said ARTA has been successful in rolling out the electronic business one- stop shop (EBOSS) in LGUs in their permitting process. Around 112 LGUs have set up and operationalized their EBOSS to date.
Perez expressed hope the model ordinance will be out within the year.
For its part, the DENR has rolled out in three regions a digital application process for mining projects.
DENR Undersecretary Carlos Primo David said this has helped streamline the tedious process and cut the waiting time for the release of mining applications from seven years to two years.
This enables mining companies to operate as soon as possible.
The digital application processing was initially rolled out in known mining regions like Caraga and Davao.
David said the DENR will implement the process nationwide.
David said the agency also hopes to set up a tracking mechanism of the evaluation process in mining especially that this involves technical and legal aspects.
The DENR is also implementing parallel processing of applications for permits in LGUs and the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP).
David said the DENR and the Department of Finance, has drafted an EO that will resolve the issue of conflicting interpretation of the law on mining royalties.
Bills are pending in Congress amending the fiscal regime. If passed into law, the measure will supersede the EO.
In the same forum, Michael Toledo, chairman of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, identified the long and complex approval process for exploration permits and mineral agreement applications as among the reasons why mining investment is not flowing in as desired.
Toledo also noted the need to simplify and expedite approval processes for mineral agreements by reducing application steps, eliminating redundancies and imposing clear-cut timelines, in close coordination with government agencies where the mining industry interacts.
