A six-year fishing ban has done wonders for the 129-hectare Colorada Point Marine Protected Area in Aroroy town in the province of Masbate, Philippines, as corals are thriving and the fish are back with sea turtles, lobsters, giant clams and other creatures.

President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted a ban on issuing licenses for new mining operations in the Philippines, marking an about-face from a previous anti-mining stance that saw him ban open-pit mining in 2017 and close or suspend 26 mining operations for environmental violations.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has suspended the quarrying and crushing plant permits of 11 companies in Rizal. During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change on Thursday, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu enumerated the firms whose Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSA) have been suspended.

The environmental ‘trade off’ of the highly destructive mining sector could help the Philippine economy recover during the COVID-19 pandemic, a top official from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said.

The remarks of Australian senior trade commissioner to the Philippines Elodie Journet that it is possible to engage in sustainable and environment-friendly mining activities was a boost to mining industry players who have suffered a blow following the decision of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to shut down the operations of 23 mining companies and cancel 75 mineral production sharing agreements.