MICC to plan early for second mining industry review

The inter-agency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) on Monday said it will start planning in January next year for the second round of review on the extractive industry .

"Because it took quite a bit of time to plan for the implementation of this (first review), and because we are mandated to do this every two years, I think, in January next year the review plan for 2019 ... should cover a different set of mine sites," Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said in an emailed statement.

Dominguez co-chairs the MICC with Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu.

The MICC announced in February a multi-stakeholder review focusing on companies affected by the closure and suspension orders under the watch of former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Paz Lopez.

According to the MICC, preliminary results of the first round of the review covering an initial batch of 26 mines will be released in January next year.

The final report is expected to be presented in March.

"Let's start planning already for the second round," Dominguez said. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News