The provincial government of Palawan has approved a 50-year extendible mining moratorium with no opposition from Board Members on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, barring new mining applications while allowing existing operations to continue.

The ordinance now awaits Governor Victorino Dennis Socrates’ signature to take full effect.

Under the ordinance, both small-scale and large-scale mining can no longer receive endorsements from barangays and municipalities.

Those who violate the rule will be fined P5,000.

The ordinance sparked debate, particularly from the President of the Liga ng mga Barangay, who argued restricting barangay councils from issuing endorsements could violate local autonomy and be challenged in court.

After amendments, the measure was approved fully and drew celebration from non-government organizations (NGOs) who see it as a victory for environmental protection.

MINING OPS STILL POSSIBLE

Despite the moratorium, new mining operations may still push through if the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) grants a Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) Clearance, even without local government endorsements.

Socrates acknowledged this loophole. He said the issue is far from settled.

"Dapat hindi tayo [muna] magpahinga, walang tigil 'to, The fight will go on maybe more than the next decade," he said during a press conference livestreamed on February 27, 2025.

He said the council could still approve projects.

"Puwede niyang baliwalain 'yung kawalan ng endorsement ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan kasi 'yun lang naman yung moratorium," he added.

Environmental Legal Assistance Center Executive Director, Atty. Grizelda Mayo-Anda, said local endorsements should be required for an SEP Clearance.

She noted that during the committee hearing, it was stated that applicants must secure at least two of three endorsements.

"'Yung Liga ng mga Barangay on Monday passed three resolutions, one of which ay sinasabi nilang hindi sila mag-i-issue ng endorsement. So kung walang endorsements sa barangay at sa province, bakit makaka-issue ng SEP Clearance? Wala silang batayan," she said.

Socrates also clarified he was never against mining but changed his stance after the Provincial Stakeholders Congress on Mining and the Environment (PSCME) in April 2024.

“I was never anti-mining... [I] was in favor of allowing business, big businesses, allowing plantations, allowing mining, kasi trabaho 'yan, kita 'yan, kailangan natin ng maintenance,” he said.

He said the summit opened his eyes to the severe environmental damage caused by mining, especially in Brooke’s Point and Española.

“We can save Palawan, the last ecological frontier [of the Philippines], a 'UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve’ (MAB)... Pabor ako doon sa moratorium, [pero] kailangan pag-aaralan [dahil] later on baka kailangan minahin din yung resources din natin, pero sa ngayon kailangan magdahan-dahan tayo," he added.

With the PCSD's potential role in approving mining projects, environmental groups remain watchful, as the fight to protect Palawan’s natural resources continues.