00:00In this project, the main issues related to the continuous use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the country are being addressed.
00:09This is being carried out by the Artisanal Gold Council under the United Nations Environment Program and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
00:18and in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
00:24And to give us more details about these projects, we will be joined by Ms. Abigail Okate, their National Project Manager, and Don Poe Kimke, National Communications Officer.
00:38Good morning, Ms. Abigail, Ms. Don. Good morning.
00:42Please tell us about your organization and your initiatives. Go ahead.
00:47Good morning. We are the Artisanal Gold Council or AGC. We are an international NGO that focuses on helping the small-scale gold mining community
00:57or small-scale gold mining sector to formalize, be socially responsible, and be environmentally sound.
01:04We make sure that we help them to be a positive contributor to the national economy that they mine for the people and the planet.
01:12We started in the Philippines in 2019 when we were chosen as the executive agency of the Planet Gold Philippines Project.
01:21And recently, we were also chosen for the development of the National Action Plan on ESGM.
01:27Alright. For our viewers to understand better, what is this so-called artisanal and small-scale gold mining?
01:36And why are our miners still using mercury?
01:42So, under our 7076 or People's Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991, ESGM refers to people who mine using simple tools and methods, not using heavy machineries.
01:55But we saw in the community that in reality, miners really need to use machineries because it's hard to get gold ores.
02:05Usually, they dig tunnels to reach the gold deposit.
02:10So, let's go by the numbers, what is ESGM and how important it is to our economy.
02:1770% of the total annual production, gold production of the country comes from ESGM.
02:26Okay.
02:27And then 500,000 miners, this is an estimate in the entire Philippines, are miners.
02:34And in 40 out of 80 provinces in the country, ESGM is present.
02:40Okay.
02:41And then 2 million Filipinos, their livelihood depends on ESGM.
02:47And one of the most important data that we want to share is that the majority or 80% of gold sold to BSP
02:54that is part of the Gross International Reserve of the country comes from this sector.
03:00Okay.
03:01I understand, is it true that your organization is providing recommendations to alternatives in the use of gold?
03:07Can you tell us about that?
03:08Yes.
03:09So, our organization, our project, Planet Gold Philippines Project, it's actually part of a global program,
03:17a Planet Gold program currently implemented in 24 countries.
03:22The aim of the program is to make, or at least a small-scale gold mining sector safer, cleaner,
03:28and more profitable with a vision of a clean global supply of gold from small-scale miners.
03:35So, in the Philippines, as you mentioned, it started in 2019 and implemented by the UN agencies,
03:44specifically UNEP and UNIDO in partnership with DNR and MGB.
03:48We are working with MGB in identifying possible alternatives in the use of mercury.
03:55Because the overarching objective of the project is to address key issues linked to mercury use.
04:01So, one of the technologies that has been proven and tested to effectively recover gold from ore is what is called leaching.
04:11And the reagent that is usually used here is the use of cyanide.
04:16Cyanide is still a toxic chemical, but it can be safely utilized if there is proper equipment and proper training.
04:26Unlike mercury, which is very toxic, and once it's in that environment, it won't be destroyed anymore.
04:32It will enter our food chain and eventually affect human health.
04:38So, in one of the project sites, one of the innovations is that even if cyanide is used,
04:47amino acid is also used, which is non-toxic.
04:50And what it does is it reduces the need for cyanide by 50% without affecting the recovery rate.
04:58Well, the primary concern of our countrymen whenever they talk about gold mining is that
05:04it won't be destroyed by nature, right?
05:07So, how do you ensure that this system won't affect our environment?
05:14Well, one of the efforts of our organization is the formalization or legalization of small-scale miners.
05:24Because this includes identifying the right areas where gold can be mined.
05:30So, in our law, there are two levels of formalization.
05:33So, first, there should be a petition or declaration of a small-scale mining area.
05:41And it doesn't end there. If there is a small-scale mining area, it can't be operated there.
05:46A small-scale mining contract must be applied.
05:50So, in identifying our government, because the government approves this, the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board,
05:58it's a multi-stakeholder body.
06:00They approve the areas where gold can be mined.
06:04So, they look at the technical considerations.
06:06Okay. After mining an area of a barangay, after the mining is done, what is the responsibility of the miners?
06:19This is included in their application.
06:22There should be a plan on how to rehabilitate the area.
06:28And one of the best practices now is what is called progressive rehabilitation.
06:33Where there is a mine, if it's done there and it moves to another area, it will be rehabilitated immediately.
06:38And, of course, the support and assistance of local government units and national government agencies is also important.
06:46This is in terms of assisting the small-scale miners in the rehabilitation of the area
06:50and monitoring if they are doing their operation correctly.
06:54If it's safe for the environment and safe for the health of the miners and the health of the community members.
07:01Okay. Just going back to the use of mercury,
07:03what are the areas or places in the Philippines that are most affected by the use of mercury in mining?
07:09So, as we mentioned earlier, 40 provinces out of 80 have the presence of ESGM.
07:15And we assume that mercury is really used in these areas because it is the cheapest, fastest, and most affordable way to extract gold.
07:27But in terms of data, where exactly, there is no data on that.
07:31But that's the usual method of gold extraction using mercury.
07:37Okay. We have books here. What are these books?
07:41So, part of our advocacy campaign is engaging not just the miners and the stakeholders in the government,
07:50we also engage the general public and the media and the youth.
07:55So, we have an education roadshow where we have different activities with storytelling.
08:01So, we produced two children's storybooks.
08:04The first one is Mico Maya and Ginento Ang Lambak.
08:07It talks about responsible gold mining.
08:10It's possible to strike a balance on livelihood and taking care of the community, your health, and the environment.
08:18And Mina Minera, it talks about the importance of gold as women miners.
08:26We see that women are an important support so that we can have a more holistic help in the development of the sector.
08:34She's still young and she's already exposed to these kinds of talks.
08:38Well, in mining, it has a huge impact on the economy of our country.
08:42There are a lot of Filipinos who are dependent on mining.
08:45What's important is to be responsible and maintain the order of our environment.
08:51Your program is good. I hope we can talk about this in the future.
08:56Thank you very much for sharing with us. I hope these initiatives will continue.
