VOLUME 12 NUMBER 1 (January to June 2019)

by Luis Wilfrido Atienza

Small-scale mining plays an important economic role in rural areas of the Philippines. This type of mining does not make use of large industrial machinery, does not mine too deep into the earth, and produces fewer than 50,000 metric tons of ore annually. In provincial areas, small-scale mining is essential to providing locals with jobs and a source of income, which helps develop smaller towns and drives economic growth. It also helps us make use of the country’s rich natural resources in a manner that is less destructive than industrial mining operations.