Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Raphael Lotilla emphasized the pivotal role of responsible mining in promoting sustainable economic growth and uplifting local communities.
Speaking at the Pilipinas Conference organized by StratBase ADR Institute in Makati, Lotilla highlighted the DENR’s ongoing reforms through the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, aimed at a more integrated and future-focused governance approach in the mining sector.
“We are advancing a whole-of-government policy shift to elevate the mining sector's contribution to national development. At present, mining contributes roughly 1 percent to the national gross domestic product,” he said.
“Through targeted policy interventions, we aim to double this to 2 percent by 2028, and to do so not through extraction alone, but through value-adding, downstream processing, and better integration with clean energy and manufacturing supply chains,” he added.
Lotilla stressed that these reforms go beyond regulatory measures. “Wealth beneath the ground means little if it does not translate to sustainable, equitable value above ground," he said.
The DENR is finalizing an executive order to establish a national policy framework for developing a critical minerals industry, Lotilla said. The framework will promote responsible exploration and extraction while encouraging investment in processing, circular value chains, and domestic manufacturing—moving the country beyond exporting raw ore.
“It will ensure that our environmental rules are not diluted, but instead modernized to keep pace with innovation, climate realities, and market demand,” he explained.
Lotilla noted that the policies introduced by the DENR are designed to position the Philippines as a reliable and responsible player in the global energy transition. Mineral resources will be leveraged to secure the country’s place in clean technology value chains.
Among these measures are aligning mining-related social development programs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to ensure tangible benefits for host communities, streamlining permitting under the Philippine Mining Act to enhance transparency and predictability without compromising environmental safeguards, and integrating mining strategies with national economic and clean energy goals to maximize long-term value.
“The transition to a circular economy is central to our long-term resilience,” Lotilla said. “It requires going beyond traditional models of consumption and disposal, and designing systems where materials are reused, repurposed, or reintegrated into the value chain.”
“The goal is not simply to mine more. It is to mine better, process smarter, and govern with integrity so that the Philippines becomes a reliable and responsible contributor to the global clean energy transition while assuring our people and host communities of their fair share in the fruits of development, while protecting our environment,” he added.
