Atty. Job Adrian M. Ambrosio was the Keynote Speaker during the May 2026 Philippine Mining & Exploration Association Monthly Membership Meeting. He is the President and CEO of Philippine Mining Development Corporation (PMDC).
PMDC is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), acting as the mining arm of the Philippine state. It focuses on exploring, developing, and managing mining projects, particularly within designated mineral reservations to ensure responsible mining, environmental protection, revenue generation, and community development.
On April 9, 2003, a Presidential Memorandum was released stating that PMDC is primarily tasked to conduct and carry on the business of exploring, developing, mining, smelting, and producing, transporting, storing, distributing, exchanging, selling, disposing, importing, exporting, trading and promotion of gold, silver, copper, iron, and all kinds of mineral deposits and substances.
PMDC has also been specifically tasked by the Philippine government to implement the program of putting up a world class mine in Diwalwal, municipality of Monkayo, Davao De Oro.
Aside from their scope of business and revenue generation, PMDC was more importantly created to address the environmental, health, social and economic well-being of the occupants of the area. This entails providing adequate environmental protection and mine rehabilitation measures.
Beyond its primary objective of settling disputes in Diwalwal, the PMDC is actively addressing the broader difficulties involved in revitalizing the Philippine mining sector.
"The company does not intend to compete with privately-owned mining projects, but rather hopes to position itself as the catalyst for developing mining projects in areas where private investors find difficult to come in," as stated in their website.
PMDC's Strategic Shift Towards Active Government-Led Mineral Development
For several years, PMDC has been aiming to be a strong contributor to national development in the mining sector. Atty. Ambrosio emphasized that the Philippines has significant mineral potential, but the challenge is organizing development properly. Therefore, PMDC focuses on clearing legal status, credible technical work, and managing permitting and community issues. PMDC aims to address national and local bottlenecks in mining projects. PMDC is working with MGB and NCIP to streamline exploration and permitting processes.
In his presentation titled “PMDC as the State's Mining Arm - A practical platform for responsible mineral development” he said, “The issue is not whether the Philippines has minerals. The issue is whether we can organize ourselves well enough to develop them properly.”
Atty. Ambrosio stated that a project moves when these factors are lined up: Legal status, Community issues, Technical work, Partner capacity, Permitting, and State value.
PMDC's role is to turn public tenements into investible, government-led projects that can actually move.
Atty. Ambrosio said that as the state’s mining arm, PMDC aims to ensure that governmental assets are not idle. The company also seeks active involvement in projects, not just collecting royalties. PMDC coordinates with national and local agencies to ensure project progress. Additionally, PMDC holds and manages state mineral assets, structures projects, and selects partners.
National Coordination to Fix Bottlenecks
Atty. Ambrosio mentioned that PMDC can help unblock national-government issues.
He first enumerated the causes of bottlenecks, namely: requirements are fragmented, sequence is often unclear, private operations deal with each office alone, and good projects can stall in coordination gaps.
Therefore, here is PMDC's value proposition, namely:
- Place the project inside a national-government framework
- Coordinate with DENR, MGB, NCIP, EMB, DA, DILG, and other agencies.
- Clarify what applies, what can run in parallel, and what needs policy guidance.
- Support the operating partner without replacing technical responsibility.
Joint Ventures with Private Sector Partners
PMDC is also exploring joint ventures with private sector partners to streamline project processes.
“We are also exploring the third-party and joint-venture arrangement. So, this is where…if you're in the private sector and you have a tenement or an MPSA or an EP and you're having trouble, what we can do is we can joint-venture with PMDC where we would be leading and we would be helping you get the project through the process as a state-led mining project,” Atty. Ambrosio said.
“Why is that important? I'm working now with the MGB. When it is a PMDC project, an exploration permit is no longer needed. It can go straight to exploration. Why? Because it is state-led. It's a government project. So we should not be treated just like any other private entity. We are government, so government to government, no more EP requirement. That's what we're working on.”
PMDC is also undergoing organizational rationalization to focus on stakeholder relationships.
Job Adrian M. Ambrosio (PMDC President and CEO) [Photo by Marcelle P. Villegas]
Bidding Program - Q4 2026: Move to competitive partner selection
Atty. Ambrosio announced that PMDC plans to start competitive selection processes for tenements by Q4 2026. The objective is not to bid out assets. It is to offer investable projects. He enumerates the strategy:
1. Review assets
2. Clarify legal/technical issues
3. Map permitting pathway
4. Design transparent bid
5. Select for capability
Additionally, PMDC seeks technical assistance from donor institutions to enhance bidding packages.
Technical assistance from donor institutions and development partners:
- World-class bidding framework
- Transparent and defensible process
- Best qualified bidders
In summary, PMDC wants to become:
- A reliable platform for serious investors and operators
- A government-led structure where private expertise is welcomed
- A partner that helps unblock national and local bottlenecks
- A disciplined system where obligations are monitored and performance matters
Atty. Ambrosio concluded by saying, “We want to be active, not passive. Practical, not rhetorical. We are open to business, but serious about performance.”
He also expressed his interest to help PMEA members in raising their issues and concerns to the MGB/DENR. The meeting ended with a Q&A session with the PMEA members and networking.
---
For more information about PMDC, please visit their website at https://pmdc.com.ph/.
