There were reasons to be optimistic about the mining industry in the past two years. It started with the the lifting of the ban on open pit mining and moratorium on new mining projects, and the renewal of the Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (“FTAA”) of Oceana Gold in 2021. Last year, the Philippines also rejoined the Extractive Industrie...

Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI) warmly welcomed the appointment of its Chairman of the Board, Atty. Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro, Jr., as Secretary of the Department of National Defense in the PBBM Administration. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday, June 6, administered the oath of office to Secretary Teodoro in an official ceremony held at Malacañan ...

Photo Credit: dmcihouse.net DMCI Mining Corporation is targeting to ship 1.5 million wet metric tons (WMT) of nickel ore in 2023, after its subsidiary Zambales Diversified Metals Corporation (ZDMC) was granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) in January to produce 2 million WMT of nickel ore. Prior to the ECC issuance, ZDMC was only all...

Leading off-grid electricity generator DMCI Power Corporation (DPC) is set to build a wind power plant in Semirara Island, home of the biggest coal reserve in the Philippines. DPC intends to finalize the wind power capacity in the coming months, with projections ranging from 8 to 12 MW, and operational implementation expected within 12 to 15 months. Th...

Photo credit: Bilyonaryo Integrated energy company Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC) is set to make its second trial shipment to Japan this June, in a bid to reduce its dependency on the Chinese market. The company will export 50,000 metric tons (MT) of Semirara coal to Shikoku Electric Power Corporation for its 700-megawatt coal fired ul...

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued the revised guidelines in the classification and reporting standards of exploration results, mineral resources and mineral reserves. The new guidelines, embodied in DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2023-05 recently signed by Secretary Antonia Loyzaga, amended DAO 2010-09 to allow ...

Photo credit: Celsius Resources Celsius Resources is pleased to announce that its Philippine subsidiary, Makilala Mining Company, Inc. (MMCI), has been issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the development of its flagship Maalinao-Caigutan-Biyog (MCB) Copper-Gold Project in the Philippines. The issuance of the ECC signifies that M...

Photo: Madrid-based offshore wind developer BlueFloat Energy announces that its largest planned offshore wind energy project will be located in the Philippines, with a capacity of 7.6 gigawatts. Answering questions from the media are (from left to right) Country Manager for the Philippines Raymund Pascual, Chief Executive Officer Carlos Martin, and Vice P...

Photo credit: TVI Resource Development The Board of RTG Mining Inc. is pleased to announce that a comprehensive settlement of all outstanding issues with the Villar Family controlled Sage Capital and TVI Resource Development (Phils.) Inc. (“TVIRD”) has been reached and a binding Memorandum of Agreement signed. On execution of the final documents, expec...

Part 1: Mining Operation Challenges and Mine Operations Management Domains 1 & 2. By Mae Ann Cabasag, EM Mining companies encounter numerous challenges throughout their operations. However, initiatives to mitigate these challenges and improve efficiency are often limited. Most of these limitations emanated from a common factor: the challenge of “po...

Sandvik Philippines has successfully commissioned and delivered to loyal customer Filminera Resources Corporation (“Filminera”) their 11th and 12th Pantera DP1500i Top-hammer Surface Drills last 25 January 2023 at the Masbate Gold Project (MGP) located in Masbate Island, Philippines. Photo shows Sandvik Technician Larry Lugnas (second from left) and Servi...

Photo: Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Region II Regional Director Mario Ancheta joined barangay and municipal government officials and Didipio Mine employees in the groundbreaking of a farm-to-market road project in Ifugao Village, Diffun, Quirino last February 2023. The road project is part of the Mine’s Community Development Fund (CDF), which aims t...

Photo: WEDA L110N and QAS 210PD The mining industry comes with various challenges; from scarce resources to uncertainty around commodity prices, miners are always looking at ways to overcome barriers to stay competitive. Nickel mining, for example, is mined from various depths and beneath the surface using large earth-moving equipment, the robustness a...

Photo credit: Department of Finance The government is planning to sell more of its assets this year, the Department of Finance (DOF) said. "Last year we already sold I think something like PHP1.5 billion assets, and then for this year, we're aiming to sell more," Finance undersecretary for privatization and corporate affairs group Catherine Fong sai...

A focus group meeting of the technical working group of House Committee on Ecology was organized in connection with proposed project within the Laguna Lake area. Representing Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain expressed strong support to the proposal of Congress to push the La...

Photo credit: Department of Public Works and Highways At least PHP10.48 billion more is needed to fully complete the extension of the multi-year Tacloban Bypass Road project, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Wednesday. Of the funding requirement, PHP1.56 billion is needed in 2024 and PHP8.92 billion for 2025 onwards, DPWH ...

Celsius Resources is pleased to announce it has entered into a non-binding term sheet and a binding subscription agreement with Silvercorp Metals Inc., a Canadian-based mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and mining of mineral properties. Highlights Celsius Resources Limited has entered into a non-binding term sheet w...

Photo credit: Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc.  Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. achieved Q1 2023 revenues of ₱1.1 billion and net income of ₱358.8 million, turning a first quarter profit for the first time in the company’s history. Earnings per share on net income attributable to equity holders of the company came in at ₱0.0296 compared to a loss of...

Photo credit: the Department of Public Works and Highways Korean construction and engineering companies are interested to participate in the procurement of the design and build of a mega inter-island bridge project in Luzon. Upon the invitation of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) which organizes the Global Project Plaza 2023 to br...

Photo: Transportation Sec. Jaime Bautista speaks before businessmen at the Makati Business Club forum on Wednesday (May 10, 2023). He said that with limited public funds to bankroll such projects, the government could tap the assistance of the private sector. (Photo courtesy of DOTr) The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is seeking the financing supp...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday signed the renewal agreement for the Malampaya Service Contract No. 38 (SC 38) that would allow the continued production of the Malampaya gas field for another 15 years until Feb. 22, 2039. During the ceremonial signing at the Malacañang Palace, Marcos said the renewal of the contract, which was originally set t...

Photo credit: Department of Public Works and Highways A new loan program of the Korean Government may be tap to finance at least four (4) pipeline projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Central Luzon and Central Visayas Regions. Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, in-charge of DPWH infrastructure flagship projects under ...

Photo: DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is mulling the implementation of a "big brother-small brother" strategy to capacitate small miners and enhance the resilience of the mining community. In a press release on Monday, DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said they are planning to incorporate said...

Photo: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. attends one of the meetings with US businessmen in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (April 3, 2023). Marcos pitched to American businessmen the country’s plan to pursue local battery production with the help of foreign technology and capital to help solve problems in energy supply and other energy-related issues. (Pho...