The government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines suspended four nickel miners indefinitely amid an industry audit, Reuters reported Sept. 16, citing the region's environment, natural resources and energy minister, Abdulraof Abdul Macacua.
Macacua said the extraction operations were suspended because of an ongoing review of mining policy in the region as the local government is preparing to enact the Bangsamoro Responsible Mining Law, which will standardize procedures for the region's mining industry.
The government suspended four of the seven mining companies operating in Tawi-Tawi, an island province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Macacua said without naming the miners.
Tawi-Tawi produced 27% of the 15.8 million wet tonnes of total nickel ore and about 90% of the 2.7 million wet tonnes of high-grade ore the Philippines exported to China in the first half of 2018.
The Philippines is facing a discrepancy of up to about 4 million wet tonnes of ore from mines that remain suspended in accordance with the audit.
Philippines Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Wilfredo Moncano recently said the suspended mines "should try to comply to the corrective measures in order to lift the suspension."
