Philippines cabinet minister Ramon Paje says he backs Church efforts to ensure the passage of the Alternative Mining Bill.

Paje told a July 8 Bishops-Legislators Forum on the Mineral Management Policy, that the “Republic Act (RA) 7942 (Mining Act of 1995) must be changed.”

Current Philippines law favors investment, obliging the DENR Secretary to expedite the granting of mining permits, Paje informed 50 forum participants at the Pius XII Catholic Center.

While he supported their movement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary told forum participants that it was also necessary to gain the support of miners.

Thanking the bishops for their reports of corruption and irresponsible mining, he promised to look into their claims.

He appealed for collaboration to help ensure “responsible mining.” Mining should not be a source of conflict between government and Church, he said.

The alternative law needs to specify where mining may take place. Decisions by local communities, especially indigenous people’s, on whether to allow mining should be honored, he added.

Bishop Nereo Odchimar, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, told the meeting that government officials in his southern diocese of Tandag, Surigao del Sur – worried about the secretary’s promises to stop bureaucratic corruption – were already plotting to have him removed.

“Surigao has the most approved mining permits and the most abused implementation of the law because of corruption of local officials,” Bishop Odchimar said.

Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila, who heads the bishops’ National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace, Philippines (NASSA) acknowledged there is nothing intrinsically wrong with mining, but said the bishops feel there is no such thing as ‘responsible mining’ in the country.

“I encourage the DENR to be more protective of our heritage and the human rights of our people,” the prelate said.

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