The artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector has long been underappreciated and overshadowed by negative press, yet it plays a crucial role in the Philippine economy.
To address the environmental and socioeconomic challenges of the sector, the planetGOLD Philippines project works as a transformative initiative. This global program forms part of the Global Opportunities for Long-Term Development (GOLD) in ASGM initiative implemented across 24 countries, including the Philippines.
In the third installment of Baguio Chronicle’s special podcast series on ASGM, Manang Lucy and guest expert Miss Abigail Ocate, the National Project Manager of PlanetGOLD Philippines, provide valuable insights into the project’s objectives, challenges, and impact.
The ASGM sector and the Minamata Convention
The Philippines is a signatory to the Minamata Convention, a global treaty aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating mercury use, a toxic pollutant that poses significant risks to human health and the environment.
Mercury is widely used in ASGM for gold extraction and it contributes to 38% of global anthropogenic mercury emissions. While mercury naturally occurs in the environment, human activities such as mining amplify its release, creating a far-reaching problem that extends beyond mining communities.
Miss Ocate emphasized that PlanetGOLD aims to align with the goals of the Minamata Convention by addressing mercury use in a holistic and sustainable way. Although the country has ratified the convention, it has yet to submit a formal national action plan for ASGM, a gap that PlanetGOLD Philippines seeks to fill through its research, community engagement, and implementation strategies.
The four pillars of PlanetGOLD
To tackle the challenges in ASGM, PlanetGOLD employs a comprehensive approach based on four interconnected components:
- Formalization of ASGM Operations: Formalization is key to professionalizing small-scale miners and integrating them into the legal economy. However, it remains a complex challenge, as many mining operations in the Philippines are still informal. Without legal recognition and support, enforcing bans on mercury use risks pushing miners further into unsafe, clandestine practices.
- Improved Access to Finance and Markets: Small-scale miners often lack access to formal financial systems and gold markets, such as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Informally sourced gold, particularly the type extracted using mercury, is excluded from legal markets, limiting miners’ economic opportunities. By facilitating access to legitimate financial channels and markets, the project helps miners operate within the bounds of the law.
- Better Mining Technology: Providing sustainable alternatives to mercury and enhancing miners’ technical capacity are integral to the program. The introduction of safer and more efficient mining technologies is expected to improve productivity while reducing environmental harm.
- Knowledge Management and Public Awareness: Changing public perception of ASGM is a crucial part of PlanetGOLD’s mission. The sector’s contributions to the economy, particularly its 70% share of the country’s annual gold production, are often overshadowed by its association with environmental degradation. Education campaigns aim to shift this narrative and highlight the sector’s potential for positive change.
Challenges and the road ahead
Miss Ocate acknowledged that formalization remains the most challenging component of the project. Many miners are wary of engaging with formal systems due to their illegal status and distrust of regulatory authorities. However, through years of community consultations and participatory approaches, PlanetGOLD has successfully built trust and fostered collaboration with mining communities.
The project also faces technical hurdles, such as introducing alternative mining technologies that are not only efficient but also affordable and culturally acceptable to miners. Additionally, integrating gender considerations into the project is vital, as women play significant yet often overlooked roles in ASGM, from gold processing to managing mining associations.
Sustainability and economic benefits
The project aligns with broader sustainability goals by reducing mercury use and promoting cleaner gold production. By formalizing the sector and eliminating mercury, the Philippines stands to increase its legal gold output, contributing to both environmental preservation and economic stability.
According to data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), small-scale mining contributes significantly to the Philippine economy. However, much of this economic value remains untapped due to the informality of operations and the exclusion of mercury-tainted gold from legal markets.
The importance of community engagement
One of the project’s key strengths is its emphasis on community involvement. By engaging small-scale miners and ensuring their participation at every stage, PlanetGOLD has fostered a sense of ownership and accountability among stakeholders. This approach not only builds trust but also ensures that solutions are tailored to the unique needs of mining communities.
As the PlanetGOLD Philippines project continues to address the challenges of ASGM, its potential benefits extend far beyond mining communities.
By formalizing the sector, improving access to markets, introducing sustainable technologies, and raising public awareness, the project aims to transform ASGM into a model of environmentally and socially responsible gold production.
The journey is not without obstacles, but the collaborative efforts of organizations like PlanetGOLD, regulatory bodies like the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and the miners themselves hold promise for a cleaner, more sustainable future for the Philippine ASGM sector.
