THE new Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) leadership is expected to continue easing the permit processes for mining contracts, miners said on Sunday.

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) said it hopes new Environmental Secretary Raphael Perpetuo M. Lotilla will continue the programs his predecessor initiated at the DENR, “specifically in the establishment of an enabling environment for mining.”

The chamber cited the “reduction of the mining and exploration permitting process as well as other investor-friendly initiatives.”

“We are eager to partner with Secretary Lotilla on programs that will enhance the environmental, social, and governance performance of mining contractors such as what our members are doing through the Chamber of Mines’ Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) program,” COMP Chairman Michael T. Toledo told BusinessWorld.

The DENR under former secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga in February issued an order requiring miners integrate the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) into their Social Development and Management Programs (SDMPs).

An SDMP is a five-year comprehensive plan required of mining companies for the “improvement” of the living standards of host and neighboring communities in their areas of operation.

COMP said it is banking on Mr. Lotilla’s “extensive experience as a professor, lawyer, chief executive officer, legislative liaison, and Energy secretary.”

It said it hopes Mr. Lotilla will carry out the administration’s “vision of maximizing the full potential of the Philippine minerals development industry in improving the lives of present and future generations without compromising the integrity of the environment.”

Greenpeace has noted that Mr. Lotilla will take the helm of the DENR “at a time of worsening climate, pollution and a biodiversity crisis.”

“We urge him to stay true to the mandate of the DENR to protect and conserve the environment for the welfare of present and future generations,” Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Jasper Inventor said.

In Mr. Lotilla’s previous post at the Department of Energy, “we’ve seen aggressive moves to enable dangerous nuclear energy, promote fossil gas, and reverse the moratorium on coal-fired power plants,” it noted.

Greenpeace urged Mr. Lotilla to “urgently” endorse to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. the Climate Accountability Bill, which seeks to create a system of reparations to hold polluters accountable.

Greenpeace also urged the new DENR leadership to push for a national ban on single-use plastics and amend the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 “to mandate reduction,” and reconsider dozens of reclamation projects. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza