4 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM CONTENTS CONSTRUCTIONMINING COMMENTARYCOMMENTARY 18 MINERS EYE OPPORTUNITIESGOLDENIN‘22 20 ASEAN-AU NZ FREE TRADE BENEFITSAGREEMENT:FORPH 24 PH-AU BAYANIHANMATESHIP,THROUGHASEAN 26 USE OF MININGDIFFRACTIONPOWDERFOR--Q&A 28 BAYANIHAN AMID PANDEMIC BATTLE: CTPCMC VS COVID-19 29 HMC SPENDS P4M FOR ADOPT-A-TOWNINSURIGAO 30 TMC WINS GAWAD KALASAG AWARD 32 ROTORK: INTELLIGENT VALVE ACTUATORS FOR EFFICIENT MINING MINING CONSTRUCTION 36 ANOTHERGEARSPHILCONSTRUCTUPFORSHOW 37 P2.5B ALLOCATED FOR PROVINCIALUPGRADINGAIRPORTS 40 KOREAN EXIMBANK OFFERS TO FUND DPWH PROJECTS 52 ABOITIZ TALK INDUSTRIALIZATIONONANDINVESTMENTS PHIL. DEPT. OF MINES AND PRESIDENTLESSONSLEADERSHIPENERGY?FROMFVRBy Fernando Penarroyo / page 6 By A.O.PatriciaBunye / page 14 MPIC WEIGHS P90-B CEBU-BOHOL BRIDGE Following success of Cebu-Cordova link / page 35 CHAMBER BUCKS NEW TAX BILL Miners say sector may lose gains / page 16
RESOURCES COMMENTARY
By Fernando Penarroyo
Philippine Department of Mines and Energy?
Inconsistent regulatory decisions brought about by ‘regulator uncertainty’ that occurs in the after-math of political transition create uncertainty for investors. This justifies the creation of an ‘inde-pen dent’ regulator composed of tenured civil servants based on professional merits and technical expertise working in an organi zational structure shielded from political patronage. Improving the Role of State-Owned Resource Companies
Organizational reforms also require consolidating and strengthening owner ship in resource compa-nies owned by the state and providing a degree of effective
A reinvigorated Department of Mines and Energy (“Department”) will serve as the foundation for regulating, promoting, and developing Philippine resource-based industries, which represent one main pros pect for economic growth. However, this new Department will certainly face chal lenges, including multiple regulations, in ter-institutional conflicts, the dearth in the capacity of regulators, and the threat of political interference. The Department should be tasked to provide clear policy direction for the ex tractive sector and de-liver improved in dustry regulations through a strengthened institutional capacity. It should also introduce reforms in state-owned petroleum and mining companies. More importantly, the Department should create a National Geological Sur vey Agency to collect a comprehensive geological information system and man age a National Mineral and Energy Database. The Department must implement a transparent and accountable governance framework, and improve effective interac tions with other regulatory bodies, private companies, development agen-cies, and stakeholders.
High standards of transparency and good governance are essential to tackle corruption and ensure the sector delivers benefits to the stakeholders. These include accountable mechanisms for the al-location of mineral and petroleum rights through im proved processes in licensing and contract management. It also involves transparent management of non-tax revenue collection like funds for social development and envi ronmentalComplementingrehabilitation.contract management is improved oversight and compliance. Regulations must provide the structure for the enforcement of laws and the terms and conditions of the contracts and licenses.
6 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM Philippine Resources is published independently for executives in Philippine mining, construction, resources, and associated business sectors. Publisher Elizabeth Galura Consulting Publisher Greg Brimble editor Jimbo Owen Gulle sales and Marketing Manager Matt Brimble +63 927 721 Matthew@philippine-resources.com6622 aCCount Manager Merian Jay Fallan +63 955 738 merian@philippine-resources.com0266 adMinistration Cecilia Pamular +63 917 308 cecille@philippine-resources.com1971 design/ProduCtion Elizabeth Galura Journalists Marcelle P. Villegas Abe Almirol Contributors Patricia A.O. Bunye Fernando Penarroyo Manila Publishing offiCe Suite 6, 2nd Floor Corinthian Plaza Building 121 Paseo de Roxas Legaspi Village Makati City, Philippines 1226 Phone +632 8251 5599 digital online edition www.Philippine-Resources.com ON THE COVER: Cebu Cordova Bridge PhotoMPICcourtesy RESOURCESPHILIPPINE THE MAGAZINE FOR MINING, CONSTRUCTION AND INDUSTRY Page 8 > Every time there is a change in admin istration, the mineral industry always anticipates with bated breath the identity of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (“DENR”) secre tary. The presidential appointee is scruti nized whether he or she is either sympa thetic to the mining in-dustry or a staunch environmental advocate. This can be attributed to the ambigu ous nature and function of the DENR. Under the present setup of the DENR, it is mandated to promote investments in the minerals industry through the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and at the same time, enforce national environmental laws through the Envi-ronmental Management Bureau.Inmany jurisdictions, the environment protection agency is totally independent of the administrative body regulating extrac tive industries. Perhaps it is now high time for Philippine legislators to remove the min ing regulation function from the DENR and attach it to a super regulatory body called the Department of Mines and Energy.
Strengthening Institutional Capacity Institutional capacity requires highly skilled specialists to provide effective reg ulatory functions to identify, design, imple ment, and manage a comprehensive regu latory system. Because the mineral and energy industries are so highly specialized with many technical dimensions, the skills available to the Department should ideally match with those of the private companies it regulates.TheDepartment must conduct an orga nizational and capacity needs assessment to pursue this. It must craft a plan to de liver the human resources necessary to de velop and retain the staff required and im plement organizational reforms so that the Department is properly structured to fully deliver its mandate in the areas of policy, regulation, and investment promotion.
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8 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM < Page 6 Page 10 > COMMENTARY government control and involve ment in Especiallydecision-making.forstrategic projects, state-owned resource companies can benefit from preferential financing, low hurdle rate expec tations, sovereign guarantees, grants, direct government subsi dies, tax concessions, preferential treatment in public procurement, and other forms of public support. With this support system, stateowned resource companies should be encouraged to conduct initial exploration work in frontier areas to mitigate geologic risks. Take the case of the Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation (“PNOC-EC”). The low capacity of technical personnel and lack of modern equipment are among some of the issues identi fied by the company. PNOC-EC could have acquired the interests of the divesting companies in the Malampaya natural gas project if it utilized its ability as a national oil company to access capi-tal, human resources, and technical services directly from oil field service com panies (“OFSC”). OFSCs have been offering na tional oil companies services, spe cialized operations, and outsourc ing needs with their high technical experience. Their services cover virtually all areas of exploration and production including facilities and reservoir-related services.
With the Malampaya acquisi tion, PNOC-EC can aggressively track new opportunities for growth through access to capital markets, increased profits, and greater par ticipation in technology ad-vance ments. Further, it is better able to mitigate political risks alalsoeasierincaltherebypartnershipknowledgegraduallyReservation.theandthenatedpanymay(“PMDC”),ingippineploratingalsoations.basedde-cisionscalrisks,thegiestionshipsgovernment-to-governmentthroughrelaandnegotiationstrateusingthepoliticalmuscleofPhilippinegovernment.PNOC-ECcantakegreaterwithstrategicandgeopolitigoalsfactoredintoinvestmentratherthanbeingpurelyoncommercialconsiderAstrongPNOC-ECcouldhavebetterleveragedinexinthedisputedWestPhilSea.InthecaseofthePhilippineMinandDevelopmentCorporationdirectminingopera-tionsbeoutofreachforthecomatpresent.PMDCwasdesigastheimplementingarmofDENRinundertakingtheminingmineralprocessingoperationsin8,100-hectareDiwalwalMineralHowever,PMDCcandevelopcapabilitythroughtransferbyworkinginwithprivatecompaniesincreasingin-housetechnicapability.Managingthestate’sequitymineralprojectsistechnicallythanoperatingmines,butitrequiresdedicatedprofessionskillstoensurethatthestate’s shares yield an appropriate return. In particular, board membership should be filled by skilled profes sionals who can dedicate substan tial time to these tasks. Commercial efficiency is the best way of achieving PMDC’s goals over the long term. Detailed laws and rules on how PMDC is structured and how it interacts with state institutions and private investments are necessary. The PMDC should also be able to man age itself with sufficient auton-omy to make relevant and timely deci sions. However, public accounts should be maintained in ac-cor dance with international standards and subject to independent audits.
Establishing a National Geological Survey Agency Too often, regulators are bogged down by the sheer vol ume of monitoring, inspections, and exten-sion work required. Also, the workload spent by technical personnel in contract monitoring results in insufficient time to assess the resource potential of the coun try, which is primarily the mandate of a department handling the min eral and energy industries. Under the present set-up, tech nical personnel must also engage in the inspection of small-scale op-er ations and geo-hazards aside from contract compliance duties. The mineral and energy industries are capital and technology-inten
The NGSA shall also provide ser vices on geological mapping, geo technical investigation, hydrogeological mapping, geophysical and geochemical mapping as well as ba sin analysis. It shall also en-gage in mineral and petroleum resources ex ploration and evaluation. By building technical capacity in the NGSA, the Department will improve the under standing of the country’s resource endowment and provide geoscien tific information to investors.
Enhancing LinkagesCollaborationGovernmentandEconomic
The Department shall be solely responsible for the establishment and control of an NGSA whose task is to conduct a comprehensive geologic survey and provide reli able scientific information on how to manage energy and mineral re sources. The survey will contribute important data to the De-partment and other agencies and compile as sessments of minerals, energy, and other resource potentials.
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National Mineral and Energy Database Ease of access to a mineral and energy database facilitates invest ment into the extractive indus-tries of a country. As such, having the digital infrastructure to host this data administered by the NGSA, is important for attracting new in vestments. The database will serve as a central depository for resource data and will be made available to the public on a centralized web and cloud platform for easy information access.Theavailability of additional in formation reduces uncertainty and increases investor confidence. In formation and knowledge increase resource certainty and reduce risk, which allows better access to risk capital for further exploration as well as a more accessible and man ageable base from which to devel op a portfolio of resource projects. The digital platform to be used for access to the data bank can also be utilized in the submission of information to regulators for moni toring and compliance purposes. The Department should also continue to adapt to a standard global classification system that ad-dresses the probability of risk based on a set of resource criteria and attributes. This classification system would provide develop ers and potential investors with more information, and as a tool for resource valuation, allowing for the development of risk-balanced portfolios.Suchstandardization is criti cal to making informed decisions on development opportunities. The implementation of the resource classification system would provide the industry with a clearly de-fined framework to evaluate prospects and establish a common industry language for resource and risk as sessments.TheDepartment and private industry should aim for the recog nition by financial institutions and stock exchanges of the resource classification system to facilitate access to capital.
While the Department shall have the primary responsibility for developing extractive industries, it also recognizes that many of its activities will require collaboration and linkages with other institutions. Inter-institution coordination among other resource-regulating agencies not directly under the su pervision of the Department like lo cal government units, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Energy Regulation Commission, and other agencies will lower the transaction costs of developers. Regulation of the extractive industries requires all respon sible government agencies to work togeth-er and collaborate to strengthen regulation. As the main government agency for the extrac tive in-dustries, the Department will take a leadership role in insti
10 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM Page 12 > RESOURCES COMMENTARY sive, which means that the coun-try will need to attract significant pri vate sector investment. One method to attract investment is by providing investors with modern geological in formation, which can be adequately fulfilled by a Na-tional Geological Survey Agency (“NGSA”).
12 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM RESOURCES COMMENTARY
Another instance where the mining and energy function can be coordinated by the Department is the setting up of the regulatory frameworks for hybrid micro-grids. A key advantage of off-grid power plants is that they can power the energy needs of mining operations in remote areas, where the cost of building the infrastructure required to hook the mine up to the grid net work or building a conventional power station will be significant. By having a dedicated off-grid power source, a mining operation can meet all its energy requirements and make significant cost savings in the price it pays for elec tricity. Microgrids involve a com bination of power sources, usually diesel or natural gas generators combined with some re-newable energy resources. In addition, given the significant involvement of the donor commu nity in the extractive sector, the Department shall also establish a donor coordination forum for ex tractive sector activities. The economic linkages spearheaded by the Department will maximize the economic impact of extractive in dustries. Such linkages will also im prove the efficiency and effective ness of donor funding.
resourcesRegulatoryDevelopment.ProjectResourcesspecializes“Ronnie”FernandoS.PenarroyoinEnergyandLaw,Finance,andBusinessHeisalsocurrentlytheChairoftheProfessionalBoardofGe-ology.Hemaybecontactedatfspenarroyo@penpalaw.comforanymattersorinquiriesinrelationtothePhilippineindustryandsuggestedtopicsforcommentaries.Atty.Penarroyo’scommentariesarealsoarchivedathisprofessionalblogsiteatwww.penarroyo.com
Conclusion Combining the Mines and Geo sciences Bureau with the Depart ment of Energy to form a strengthened Department of Mines and Energy will ensure economic growth and sustainable develop ment in the mining and energy sectors. The strengthened Depart ment will provide a stable regula tory framework able to manage the country’s resources and better respond to the strategic objectives espoused in the country’s develop ment objective.
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Additional Readings Addison, Tony, and Roe, Alan, Extractive Industries - the Man agement of Resources as a Driver of Sustainable Development, UNUWider Studies in Development Eco nomics, 2018, nies-in-the-drc-and-zambiafrom-state-owned-mining-compadataset/rgi-copper-giants-lessons-https://www.resourcedata.org/sourcetheState-Owneding_TrendsModels_Challenges_and_Emergtional_Oil_Companies_Business_net/publication/261696989_Na2014,lenges,Companies:dustriesunu.edu/publication/extractive-inhttps://www.wider.Al-Fattah,SaudL.,NationalOilBusinessModels,ChalandEmergingTrends,Marchhttps://www.researchgate.CopperGiants:LessonsfromMiningCompaniesinDRCandZambia,NaturalReGovernanceInstitute,2014,
tutional collaboration to improve in for-mation flow and regulation and streamline economic development. The Department should manage the effective coordination and col laboration of regulatory activities across the wide range of agencies that ideally should be involved in different aspects of extractives regulations.Manydownstream activities like the processing of minerals require access to low-cost power to be competitive. This is where coordina tion within the Department of Mines and Energy can easily facil-itate this major hurdle in developing a viable mineral processing industry. Inter national markets for processed min erals are highly competitive and it is difficult to compete without relying on a facility where a major cost of production is electricity.
Inclusion in Conflict Resolution Petroleum and minerals de velopment has often been cited as a key factor in triggering and escalat-ing violent civil conflicts. It is most likely to occur when local communities have been systemati cally excluded from decision-mak ing processes, when the economic benefits are concentrated in the hands of a few, and when extrac tive industries clash with the social and environmental concerns of lo calUnwillingnesscommunities. to address these is sues in peace agreements becomes a potential source of conflict in the future. The Department through active involvement in the peace ne gotiations can articulate the natural resource issue in the process. Another instance where the in volvement of the Department and the national oil company can be put to good use is in the assertion of the country’s sovereignty over petroleum resources in the West Philippine Sea.
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RESOURCES COMMENTARY
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1. Take care of your people. As a military commander, he would not leave checking on the troops to lower-ranking officers. A subordinate of his recounts be ing surprised that a younger FVR would go to the field with a bag of medals both as a reward for the hard work of his men and as a way of comforting them through their difficulties. According to Brig. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, one important lesson he learned from PFVR is: “(I) f you care enough for the nation you serve, act decisively on what needs to be done. There is no place far enough or isolated enough that cannot be reached if you wanted to. Honor every effort as soon as possible of those who sacrificed enough to fulfill their duties.”
If I am not mistaken, it was also PFVR’s administration that began using barcodes to track incoming documents.Beforethe internet age, PFVR was already fond of clipping news articles and writing marginal notes on them in his legendary red pen which we would send to government officials very early in the morning by fax. These notes would either be re minders, action items, or a simple pat on the back. An aide de camp who spoke at his wake ruefully recounted that his days were filled with collat ing news clippings for his workaholic boss from dawn until late evening. At the end of the day, “The Boss” would still ask, “Wala na bang papel diyan?”, meaning he was still willing to work when others much younger than he was already exhausted. Listening to other eulogists who shared their memories of PFVR, I was struck by several recurring themes of their years working with him. These were men who were not politicians, but who knew him as a military officer in the field, and who saw him face the challenges of both military and civilian life. From their comments, I gleaned the following leadership lessons
PFVR-style:
2. If you need something done well, put in the time and resources to make it happen. PFVR’s battlecry was “Let’s show them how to work” and work hard he did, spending long days which would often begin with running with the troops at 4 am, which would allow him to hit several birds with one stone: meeting and dis cussing work concerns while bond ing with his team.
3. After the siege of the Manila Hotel on 05 July 1986, when those responsible were only meted push ups when they returned to their barracks, then-AFP Chief of Staff Ramos was severely criticized for the light treatment given to the putschists, of whom belonged to the Constabulary, which he for merly headed. His aides say that lesson to be learned from that ex perience is: to know your true intentions (in taking a course of action). PFVR then recognized the fragility of the new-post EDSA democracy. He knew then that his true objective was to unify the AFP which was severely politicized, and that any punishment would further divide it. Keeping the organization intact, professional, and strong was worth any criticism hurled at him.
Allow
By Patricia A. O. Bunye
Leadership Lessons from President FVR me to take this oppor tunity to pay my respects to our 12th President, Fidel Valdez Ramos, who passed away on 31 July 2022. PFVR is credited with many things, including ush ering in a period of stability, and creating an environment condu cive for investments, but the mining industry is understandably most grateful to him for the passage during his term of Republic Act No. 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act. The Mining Act was but one of the pieces of legislation that were part of “Steady Eddie’s” road to the Philippines 2000, which included breaking Marcos Sr.-era monopo lies. Surely no one misses the days when there was only one airline and one phone company, or when there were daily power outages. While I never had the honor and privilege of working for him, I was always in awe of his leadership style. PFVR is well known for hav ing institutionalized complete staff work or “CSW” in Malacanang which, simply put, admonishes all government agencies and their subordinates to “do their home work” before any document reach es his desk. Later administrations would follow his lead and further flesh out and provide details and timelines for more effective CSW.
Patricia A. O. Bunye is a Senior Partner at Cruz Marcelo & principallyaDevelopment,NaturalwhereTenefranciasheheadsitsMining&ResourcesDepartmentandEnergypracticegroup.SheisalsotheFoundingPresidentofDiwata-WomeninResourceInc.,non-governmentorganizationadvocatingtheresponsibledevelopmentofthePhilippines’wealthinresources,throughindustriessuchasmining,oilandgas,quarrying,andothermineralresourcesfromtheearthforprocessing.
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“In addition, several large-scale operations run the risk of closure, resulting in massive unemployment in their areas of operations.” CoMP noted that the bill will once again put into question the stability of mining policies, which is most detrimental to attracting foreign investments in such a capital-intensive industry. “Foreign investors will simply look elsewhere; we are not the only country blessed with mineral resources. If further tax increases are unavoidable, the tax structure should not be onerous as to stop investments from coming in,” the group“Wesaid.thus call on Congress to revisit the bill recently approved by the committee on ways and means and allow for full and meaningful consultations with stakeholders,” CoMP said.
9. Anything important needs to be written. Despite his famous photographic memory, he was a stickler for writing notes even on the golf course.
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) has expressed concern over a proposed tax measure that may push back recent gains for the mining sector and deter prospective investments in the sector.The bill passed by the House committee on ways and means proposes the imposition of a royalty tax of 5 percent on the gross output of large-scale mining operations while increasing the share of the government to 60 percent of net revenues.
16 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM 4. Make your organization function well. 5. Be prepared. Anticipate all6.contingencies.Takeevery opportu nity to improve yourself and serve others well 7. Ask “are you part of the problem or part of the solution”?8.Strive for a win-win so lution. One former aide recount ed a PFVR trick of getting warring cabinet members to come to an agreement by asking them to meet in a small conference room and to revert to him only after they had a workable solution.
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Mining group bucks tax bill, says sector may lose gains
“We also maintain that figures shown during the committee hearing that purported to show the industry’s effective tax rate at 38 percent was woefully out of date as such report was done in the year 2000, prior to the doubling of the excise tax on mineral products under TRAIN 1,” CoMP said in a statement.Oncepassed into law, the bill will render the Philippine mining industry as one of the highest taxed mining countries in the world, the chamber said. “It will also jeopardize the sector’s contribution to economic development in host communities which may result in a substantial reduction of exports and tax revenues and a considerable amount of social expenses.”
MINING NEWS
The proposed legislation will also place a 10-percent export tax on mineral ore exports, to encourage domestic processing of mineralCoMPproducts.said that while the proposed measure runs contrary to pronouncements of the new administration, there were no consultations that would enable industry stakeholders to oppose provisions of the bill they found onerous.
10. Practice attentive lis tening. An aide recounts a gaffe when he only caught PFVR saying the word “barber” and, in his haste, called former Sen. Robert Barbers when all PFVR wanted was a hair cut. Lesson learned: don’t assume, but always seek clarification when in doubt.11.Throughout his six years as President, PFVR was always on-point and on message with the direction he wanted to take (“Kaya Natin Ito!”). Whether or not you agreed with him, there was no equivocation about his position. He also ef fectively used wit and humor to defuse tense situations, including with the press. Two thumbs up, Mr. President. Mabuhay!
The Philippines is considered the fifth most mineralized country in the world, with the third largest deposits of gold, fourth for copper, fifth for nickel, and sixth for chromite. However, most of the country’s mineral resources remain untapped because of strong opposition from various sectors. A moratorium on new projects was imposed during the Aquino administration following a series of mining incidents.
Mining companies turned bullish on industry prospects as the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seeks to reinvigorate the sector as part of the strategy to grow the domestic economy.Themining industry, which has stagnated since 2012 following the imposition of a moratorium on new mining contracts, is enjoying the benefits of prevailing high metal prices.“We are very happy that the new administration is pro-mining,” DMCI Holdings president and chief executive Isidro Consunji said in a recent investors’ forum.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte also had an anti-mining stance at the onset of his administration and threatened to impose a total ban on open pit mining. He ordered mining companies to rehabilitate mined-out areas.Towards the end of 2021, President Duterte lifted the ban on new mining projects to boost the economy which was badly affected by the pandemic. Philex Mining Corp. president Austin Eulalio Jr. said the industry holds the greatest potential to drive economic recovery and growth.
“We believe that mining, being an export industry, will play an important role in the economic recovery of the country, particularly in increasing our dollar reserves,” Eulalio said. “The Philippines is one of the highly mineralized countries in the region, and it must take advantage of the opportunity considering the stable metal prices, global direction to move into green energy, in which copper and nickel are very important,” he said.
AHouse of Representatives panel has approved a new fiscal regime for the mining sector, which is expected to generate PHP37.5 billion in its first full year of implementation. The House ways and means committee approved a bill proposing a rationalized and single fiscal regime applicable to all existing and prospective large-scale metallic mines, regardless of location. The committee adopted the version of the Department of Finance, which would “bring the country’s effective tax rate on mining (considering all taxes) to 51 percent, up from 38 percent under the current system. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, committee chair, said this would bring the Philippines “closer to the middle of the pack” among major mining countries, instead of near the bottom of the list. “51 percent is a good number, because it brings us closer to Australia’s effective tax rate, at around 51 percent as well, counting royalties. Among major countries, only Chile and South Africa have lower effective tax rates than us. This proposal brings us closer to Australia and Indonesia, which are our regional comparatives. China is at a very high 71 percent effective tax rate for gold mines,” Salceda said. He said the proposal would fulfill the panel’s commitment to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the Department of Finance to raise revenues to fund the administration’s priority programs.“With this measure, we are fulfilling our commitment to the President and to the DOF to raise revenues to fund PBBM’s priority programs,” Salceda said. Salceda explained that under Marcos’s Medium Term Fiscal Framework, the revenue program assumes a tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 0.3 percent annually. “The mining tax reform takes care of half of that assumption already. So, if enacted, it will be very good for President BBM’s bigger ambitions for infrastructure, agricultural revolution, and a solid Filipino middle class,” he said.
Miners expect golden opportunities this year
DMCI’s Isidro Consunji Philex’s Eulalio Austin
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DMCI’s mining unit has operations in Zambales and Palawan provinces, but at least 90 percent of its assets have yet to receive government permits.
HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES NEW TAX REGIME FOR MINING
TradeDepartmentAllanSecretaryAssistantGeptyofofandIndustry(DTI),InternationalTradePolicyandTradeNegotiation.)[PhotofromAsecGepty’sLinkedIn]
Last 18 July 2022, the Philip pines Australia Business Council (PABC) in partnership with the Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC) and the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Com merce (ANZCHAM) hosted a we binar about the ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agree ment (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partner ship (RCEP). Their guest speaker was Assistant Secretary Allan Gepty of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), International Trade Policy and Trade Negotiation. Atty Dennis A. Quintero was the moderator. He is the Chairman and Trustee of the Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC). The open ing remarks were given by Her Excellency Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Austral ia. Bradley Norman, ANZCHAM Vice President, and Rafael Toda, APBC Vice President, delivered re marks on behalf of their respective organizations.Asec.Gepty gave a presenta tion titled “ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and Regional Com prehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP): The Philippine Perspec tive.” His presentation promotes the concept of “Open Economy as the Key to Economic Growth and Development.”Howcan an Open Economy solveAccordingpoverty?to the World Bank, “Trade is central to ending global poverty. Countries that are open to international trade tend to grow faster, innovate, improve produc tivity and provide higher income and more opportunities to their people.”Here are some important key points from Asec. Gepty’s presen tation: Open Economy in an interdependent world In a highly globalized and inter dependent world having an open economy is critical.
ASEAN-AU NZ Free Trade Agreement: An Open Economy for Economic Growth
• progressive elimination of tar iffs and non-tariff barriers;
• progressive liberalization of trade in services with substantial sectoral coverage;
Exploring some of these chap ters, some of the Key Commitments in AANZFTA have chapters on
• Cooperation between and among States or economies ensures the stability of the global economy.
Additionally, the Supreme Court noted, “fundamental law encour ages industries that are competi tive in both domestic and foreign markets, thereby demonstrating a clear policy against a sheltered do mestic trade environment, but one in favor of the gradual develop ment of robust industries that can compete with the best in the for eign markets. Indeed, Filipino man agers and Filipino enterprises have shown capability and tenacity to compete internationally.” (Tañada vs. Angara, G.R. No. 118295. May 2, 1997) Asec. Gepty defines ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) as a com prehensive FTA covering, among others, trade in goods, services, investment, and economic coop eration. It aims to progressively lib eralize and facilitate trade among the Parties through:
• Trade Agreements enable States or economies to effectively form stable relations through es tablishing rules and disciplines. He mentioned that the Philip pine Law also supports trade and an open economy. The Supreme Court clarified that “while the Con stitution indeed mandates a bias in favor of Filipino goods, services, labor, and enterprises, at the same time, it recognizes the need for business exchange with the rest of the world on the bases of equal ity and reciprocity and limits pro tection of Filipino enterprises only against foreign competition and trade practices that are unfair.”
“As a single undertaking ini tiative, the Agreement contains 18 chapters and several annexes.”
• establishment of a coopera tive framework for strengthening, diversifying, and enhancing trade, investment, and economic links among the Parties.
How can the ASEAN-AU NZ Free Trade Agreement help the Philippines? Will their ini tiative and strategies for an open economy help various Philippine industries like mining, construction, agriculture, transportation, tel ecommunications, and others?
20 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM MINING NEWS Page 22 >
By Marcelle P. Villegas
• facilitation promotion and en hancement of investment opportu nities through a favorable invest ment environment; and,
Primarily, Australia recognizes the countries in South and East Asia as instrumental in mutual suc cess and prosperity for the mining sector.The Australian government published “Australian Mining: New Frontiers, South and East Asia.” This is a guide for Australian trade negotiators and mining and METS* businesses to leverage trade and investment opportunities in emerg ing markets across Asia. (METS refers to Mining equipment, tech nology, and services.) This guide is a Trade Agenda from the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA).
• With the aim of providing market access for all Parties, the AANZFTA has served as a mecha nism for ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand to liberalize Trade in Goods.•Roughly 94.42% of Philippine imports from AANZFTA Parties en joy 0% tariff rates, while all Philip pine exports to Australia and New Zealand enjoy a 0% preferential tariff rate.
• Of the 57 services sectors of fered by the Philippines based on the W/120 Services Sectoral Clas sification List of 1991, 13 sectors un der Mode 1 (Cross-Border Supply of Services) have been opened to Australia and New Zealand. Mean while, 33 sectors under Mode 3 (Commercial Presence of Service Supplier) are allowed to have more than 51% Foreign Equity. How is the Philippine mining in dustry connected with the open economy strategies of AANZFTA?
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• The AANZFTA also incorpo rates the principles of liberalizing Trade in Services, especially for market access, which could also encourage investors to enter the region, especially the Philippines.
“New frontiers: South and East Asia” is a research study by Mike Adams, Nicolas Brown, and Ron Wickes, the partners of Trading Nation Consulting, for the Miner als Council of Australia. The New Frontiers study will produce a se ries of reports identifying oppor tunities and setting out an agenda for Australian trade negotiators and mining and METS businesses to expand trade and investment links with emerging Asian econo mies.[2]Inthe Foreword of this docu ment, David Byers, Interim Chief Executive of Minerals Council of Australia, recognizes the impor tance of Southeast Asian countries in the Australian mining industry. He wrote, “Emerging markets across South and East Asia are the new frontiers for Australia’s mining and METS sectors.” [2] “Australia’s mining industry has contributed enormously to the na tion’s prosperity through its export success and international engage ment. Asia has been a large part of this story, from the opening up of trade with Japan in the postwar period, which built Australia’s export coal industry, to the China resources boom, which kept Aus tralia growing through the Global Financial Crisis. Resources now account for over half of Australia’s total exports – and the vast bulk of these are to the countries of Asia.” [2] “This story still has a long way
22 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM MINING NEWS Page 23 > Goods, Rules of Origin, Customs Procedures, Services, etc. Under Goods, the key com mitment is to reduce or eliminate customs duties in accordance with its schedule of tariff com mitments. Rules of Origin pro vide the rules that will determine the originating status of goods produced within the AANZFTA Parties. Under Customs Proce dures, the key commitments are to improve predictability, con sistency, and transparency in the application of customs laws and administrative procedures to ensure the more efficient ad ministration and faster clear ance of goods. The chapter on Investment contains a framework to cover the treatment of investment and investment protection. Under E-Commerce, the key commit ments are to adopt or maintain measures based on international norms to provide for electronic authentication, and to provide protection for consumers using e-commerce. The key commit ments involved in competition recognize the importance of cooperation in the promotion of competition, economic effi ciency, consumer welfare, and curtailment of anti-competitive practices.Howcan the Philippines ben efit from AANZFTA? Here are im portant key points.
23WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 3 2022 < Page 22 MINING NEWS to play out. As Asia’s economies continue to develop, there will be significant new opportunities for Australian mining. The opportuni ties lie not only in exporting min erals commodities to new markets but in leveraging the skills, tech nology, and expertise of Austral ia’s world-leading mining industry. There will be scope for Australian mining companies to invest and work with local partners in devel oping these economies’ own re sources. And there will be export opportunities for Australia’s min ing equipment, technology, and services (METS) sector.” [2] David Byers points out that realizing these benefits will require cooperation and engagement by the business and government in Australia in the region. “While the region’s economies are committed to open markets, there remains an array of impediments to mining and mining services trade.” [2] Acknowledgment: Thank you to Assistant Secre tary Allan Gepty of DTI and Atty Dennis A. Quintero of PABC. Reference: [1] Gepty, Allan B. (18 July 2022). Webinar Presentation. “ASEANAustralia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and Re gional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP): The Philippine Perspective”[2]Adams, Mike; Brown, Nicolas; Wickes, Ron. “New frontiers: South and East Asia” https://www.dfat. gov.au/sites/default/files/aanzftagJFvT8a3qvyEk43iGMA6Zo5g4T29op2Ok7dD3to8df?fbclid=IwAR1qc3gjhOejDh9ewqgeneral-review-mca-submission.pd Infographics and Charts: Credits to - Gepty, Allan B. (18 July 2022). Webinar Presentation. “ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and Regional Comprehensive Eco nomic Partnership (RCEP): The Phil ippine Perspective”
“As Australia and the Philippines move towards upgrading our bilat eral relationship, the work we do to gether through ASEAN will continue to feature prominently and help build a peaceful, stable, prosperous and resilient region for us all.” [1] H.E. Steven J. Robinson AO completed his diplomatic posting as Australian Ambassador to the Phil ippines last July 2022. In his column in The Philippine Star, he shared his fond memories of working in the Philippines during his three-and-ahalf years as ambassador, visiting 53 provinces. He also expressed his gratitude to the former President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, for acknowl edging his hard work by awarding him the Order of Sikatuna. “We arrived in January 2019 and within a few days, I was at Malacañang Palace presenting my credentials to then President Rodri go Roa Duterte. Much happened in between, but on 30 May 2022, my wife and I again were in the same room at Malacañang Palace. This time, President Duterte conferred on me the Order of Sikatuna with the Grand Cross Rank of Datu.”
I n relation to a webinar hosted by the Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC) last 18 July 2022, regarding the ASE AN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and the Re gional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the Australian Em bassy in the Philippines expressed their further support for the Phil ippines’ economic sector through ASEAN last August.
[2]
“The honor I was given is a rec ognition of our deep bonds – what I call our ‘mateship and bayanihan’ – that have grown and flourished despite the pandemic. So, allow me to reflect on how we got here, what we have achieved together, and the future of our relationship,” wrote H.E. Robinson. The former Ambassador men tioned some of the achievements in this partnership between Aus tralia and the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Today, we work with the Phil ippines in implementing AustraliaASEAN programs in areas such as transnational crime and counter terrorism, as well as on develop ment cooperation in areas such as youth, education, gender equality, and disaster preparedness.”
“As far back as 1977, Australia funded the establishment of the ASEAN Postharvest Training and Research Center at the University of the Philippines, Los Banos under the ASEAN-Australian Economic Cooperation Program. Over the years, the cooperation between Australia, the Philippines, and ASEAN has just grown.”
“I recall that it was at a lunch at the Australian Residence with Secretaries Carlito Galvez, Fran cisco Duque and Vince Dizon that we first discussed how Australia’s development cooperation could support the Philippines’ COVID-19 response in a practical and mean ingful way. Together, we identified the urgent needs of the country, and how Australia’s expertise, par ticularly in logistical support (given our vast continent), could help roll out vaccines to remote communi ties. We listened to our friends and tailored our responses so that our support could be flexible and re sponsive to the real needs of the Philippines.” [2] “So, we increased our commit ment to COVID-19 vaccine access
PH and AU’s Mateship and Bayanihan through ASEAN
Former PH President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte awards H.E. Steven J. Robinson AO the Order of Sikatuna with the Grand Cross Rank of Datu. (Right) Hon. Richard Sisson, Australian Chargé d’Affaires to the Philippines, giving a speech for the 55th AnniversaryASEANof
“The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area has been a key framework supporting the growth of Australia-Philippine commercial ties, and we continue to work with our partners in the Philippines on upgrading and mod ernising that agreement. Australia works closely with the Philippines to support ASEAN centers which are hosted here, such as the ASE AN Center for Biodiversity.”
By Marcelle P. Villegas
The diplomatic relations be tween Australia and the Philippines have a significant effect on some of the business sectors of the Philip pines, like infrastructure, construc tion, mining, food, and agriculture, amongFromothers.theirTwitter post last Au gust 3, the Embassy stated, “As Australia and the Philippines move towards upgrading our bilateral re lationship, the work we do together through ASEAN will continue to help build a peaceful, stable, pros perous, and resilient region for us all. Happy #ASEANDay55 from the Australian Embassy in Manila.” Hon. Richard Sisson, Austral ian Chargé d’Affaires to the Phil ippines, said, “On this 55th An niversary of ASEAN, I wish all our ASEAN friends and especially those in the Philippines, warmest congratulations! Support for ASE AN centrality and ASEAN-wide initiatives is a priority for Australia, including through our Compre hensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN. The Philippines, I,s of course, a very important partner for Australia in ASEAN,” [1] “Last year, we celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations be tween our two countries. In ad dition to our strong bilateral en gagement, we work closely with the Philippines on a whole range of ASEAN-related issues and in ASEAN-led fora.”
24 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM MINING NEWS Page 25 > (Above Left)
AustralianmeetsGovernor-General,Australia’sH.E.DavidHurleyACDSC(Retd)withPresidentFerdinandMarcosJr.atMalacañangPalace[Photocredit:EmbassyinthePhilippines]and delivery in the Philippines to a total of P1.8 billion over two years. This support has been directed towards vaccine procurement, vaccine delivery support and the provision of expert health advice, in line with the priorities of the Phil ippine“DespiteGovernment.”thechallenges of the pandemic, I am also very pleased about our continuing cooperation in areas of defense and security. I am proud that during my time as Ambassador we have established a permanent Joint Australia-Philip pines military training team with an ongoing program, continued mili tary exchanges and ship visits, and expanded our cooperation across counter-terrorism into new areas such as civil maritime security and cyber.”He also emphasized how eco nomic-led recovery from the pan demic, through Austrade teams at the Australian Embassy, “I recognize the importance of an economic-led recovery from the pandemic and with our economic and Austrade teams at the embas sy, we have laid the groundwork to enhance our current commercial engagement. There are already over 300 Australian companies in the Philippines employing more than 44,000 Filipinos, despite the pandemic. Our trade and invest ment continue to increase, create jobs, and enhance livelihoods in both our countries.” [2] In closing, H.E. Robinson talked about the future of Australia-Phil ippine diplomatic relations. “Aus tralians know that we are stronger when we work together with those we trust – we can’t realize our goals for a more peaceful, saf,e, and pros perous region without our friends.”
Looking back a few months ago, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. had many foreign dignitary visitors during his inau guration last 30 June 2022. One of them is Australia’s Governor Gen eral, H.E. David Hurley AC DSC (Retd). The Governor-General is the highest-level foreign dignitary who attended the inauguration. “I am delighted to be in the Philippines, one of Australia’s clos est neighbors, to see the work our countries are doing to elevate our bilateral partnership towards a Strategic Partnership. Our endur ing friendship is anchored by our values of mateship and bayani han,” said the Governor-General. His visit emphasized the strong, decade-long bond between Aus tralia and the Philippines. They dis cussed the growing cooperation in terms of defense, development, trade, and people-to-people link, according to an article by the Philip pine News Agency. “The leaders also reiterated the two countries’ commit ment to peace, security, and pros perity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
From PNA’s report, the Austral ian government is set to pledge an estimated AUD78.5 million (or Php2.98 billion) as development assistance to the Philippines from 2022 until 2023. [4]
25WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 3 2022
Reference: [1] Hon. Richard Sisson’s speech, a video posted on Twit ter – Retrieved frompna.gov.ph/articles/1177894cy.cosdiplomaticJunepalace/president-marcos-at-malacanan-governor-general-meets-with-com/media-statements/australias-https://mateshipandbayanihan.(30EmbassyateralMvqOrYmz2mtVAC3jERhMg6gPW1Rth7xLoHJ2FLSXFkdFpNpart?fbclid=IwAR0ZXCXl_nXQTnow-we-get-exciting-opinion/2022/07/21/2196820/fromStarmacyexcitingJulytus/1554761723256590336twitter.com/AusAmbPH/stahttps://[2]Robinson,StevenJ.(212022).“Now,wegettothepart-AussieDiploMatters”.ThePhilippine-Opinionsection.Retrieved-https://www.philstar.com/[3]“Australia’sGovernor-GenmeetswithPresidentMarcosMalacañangPalace”.AustralianinthePhilippineswebsiteJune2022).Retrievedfrom-[4]Kabagani,LadeJean(302022).“Aussiegov’ttorenewtieswithPHunderMaradmin”.PhilippineNewsAgenRetrievedfrom-https://www.
“At the end of this year, Australia and the Philippines will sign up for a Strategic Partnership. What this means is that we will work even more closely on all areas of mutual interest and respond together to the chal lenges of our current times.”
“I’ll be excited to witness my successor, Ambassador-designate H.K. Yu PSM, progress the out comes of the strategic partnership and continue our tradition of mate ship and bayanihan.” [2]
Photo credits: Social Media posts of the Austral ian Embassy in the Philippines ps://philippines.embassy.gov.au/)(htt < Page 24 MINING NEWS
XRD patterns: How do they vary from crystal structures?
Use of Powder Diffraction in Mining – Q&A
In the last 30 years, many pocket miners still toil underground without licenses because the gov ernment required them to put up a Minahang Bayan and the associ ated licensing contracts have been laborious and expensive, said Ro gelio Data Jr, a mine leader from Camarines Norte. “They always risk being arrest ed and jailed or forced to pay the authorities in order to get a pass,” Data“Theresaid.are too many requirements which are impossible for us to comply with because it would need so much money,” said Panfilo Luis, a mine leader from Agusan del Sur. “Government should under stand that [small-scale mining] is not a commercial enterprise, but a family’s livelihood,” he added.
Mindanao mine leaders said that some of their organizations spent up to P10 million to secure a Minahang Bayan.
Part of the problem, the coalition leaders said, was that government regulators treat small-scale miners as distinct from large-scale mines, but have applied requirements that are barely indistinguishable from those given to large-scale mining operations.
26 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM MINING NEWS Page 27 >
Q: Could you please summarize the meaning of the peak intensity and peak position in the XRD pattern?
Uwe: Peak position refers to the maxima of intensity around the theoretical Bragg angle and value of this maxima is referred to as peak intensity.
BSP, MGB BACK CHANGES TO SMALL MINERS’ LAW A renewed demand for changes to the 31-year-old law legalizing the coun try’s artisanal and small-scale miners got much-needed sup port from officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in July, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
X-ray diffraction (XRD) is the only laboratory technique that reveals structural information, such as chemical composition, crystal structure, crystallite size, strain, preferred orientation, and layer thickness. Materials researchers, therefore, use XRD to analyze a wide range of materials, from powder X-ray diffraction (XRPD) to solids, thin films, and nanomaterials. Mining by using XRD has been critical for ores exploration, path-finding minerals, process optimization, and final product. One of the applications is that geometallurgy became more and more important during the separation of ore and waste material to cope with changes in raw material composition and to run the process under optimal conditions. Therefore, mineralogical analysis and the direct monitoring of process parameters (such as acid consumption) became an essential method to monitor process conditions.Ultimately, the goal is to obtain a good XRD pattern result with clear, sharp peaks with low background noise. Good data collection is so critical toward the next phase, which is data analysis and interpretation. These impact how you draw implications and determine your next steps in terms of your materials research and process monitoring, whether in pharmaceuticals, mining geology, catalysts, or specialty chemicals.
Uwe: Difference in crystal structure affects the position of diffraction peaks. Hence two
The National Coalition of SmallScale Miners of the Philippines, in an assembly in Baguio City on July 28 and July 29, laid out a set of amendments and proposed new provisions for the People’s SmallScale Mining Act of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7076) to uplift the lives of an estimated 500,000 pocket min ers all over the country. Noel Malimban, BSP north Lu zon cluster director, said updat ing and improving RA 7076 would “open up more access to finances for miners.” Small-scale miners generate gold that is sold directly to the BSP, he said. Efren Carido, MGB director for Soccsksargen region (formerly Cen tral Mindanao), and Alfredo Gene tiano, MGB mining department chief for the Cordillera, also expressed support for the amendment of RA 7076, during a July 29 news confer ence organized by the coalition.
In the Cordillera, where indig enous Filipinos have been panning for gold as far back as the 19th century, only 13 Minahang Bayan have been approved in the course of 30 years, but many of them are yet to operate because the neces sary pocket mine contracts have not yet been perfected.
Earlier, Malvern Panalytical’s senior application specialist, Dr. Uwe Konig, Mining and Metals Business Development Manager, discussed the basics of powder X-ray diffraction and its application in mining topics. During the webinar, he covered the basics: Interview with Uwe Konig, Business Development in Mining andIntroductionMetals. to Powder XRD
Q: How to remove the substrate peaks while measuring? Uwe: If you used a single crystalline material as substrate, you could tilt your sample a little bit (around 1 ~ 2 deg) during the sample prep. Then you will not see any peaks from the single crystal substrate.
Q: How does soller slit affect Inorganic crystalline nanomaterials? Uwe: When smaller soller slits are used, we achieve better resolution at the cost of intensity. Sample Preparation Q: Regarding sample preparation for powder samples. You mentioned smearing a sample, how do you do that? Uwe: You can prepare some plate having a rough surface like sandpaper. Then you can put the plate onto the sample and slide a little bit to smear the pressed powder.
Uwe: This Lithium ores are easy to quantify by XRD. All types of Sample such as petalite, lepidolite etc mostly XRD can do. Interested to improve in your XRD data analysis and applications? Join our free series of webinars:1.Introduction to powder X-ray diffraction. View on-demand 2. Studying battery cathode materials using X-ray diffraction View on demand 3. Expand your powder XRD applications for materials characterization research View on-demand 4. Knowing the difference between good and bad data: XRD data analysis – View on-demand 5. Improving your phase search mapping by defining your elemental range: introduction to elemental analysis using X-ray fluorescence. View on-demand 6. Range of XRD instruments to aid materials characterization research. View on-demand To Know More: https://bit. ly/3KdEBzh
Q: If we use composite materials like brake pad applications, do we need to use the spinning method for better accuracy results? Your view please? Uwe: It depends on how small your particle is. But I would say that spinning is always beneficial on polycrystalline material!
XRD Technique Q: In the diffractogram of amorphous materials, such as SiO2, it is common to see an amorphous halo between 20º and 30º. Will this also be observed for example in a nanostructured SiO2 matrix coating?
Uwe: Yes, it does. But, as you said the thickness of SiO2 is in nanoscale, this would not be seen when you use normal Bragg Brentano geometry. I recommend you use parallel geometry which keeps the incident angle at 1~2 degrees and scan only 2 theta(detector). So, you can effectively observe the diffractogram from the surface(skin) of the film.
Q: Does destructive interference caused by element position reduce only the intensity or cause peak shift?
Q: Talking about materials such as soil cuttings, what could be the impact of chemicals that would have encapsulated/absorbed onto the structure? Uwe: I am not sure what is the detailed situation, but in any case, materials can be encapsulated or absorbed onto the surface of the matter under high temperature or pressure. Probably, some triggers were there to make secondary phases on the surface. Q: What’s the optimum particle size of the sample for getting accurate results? Uwe: Theoretically 1-micron meter is the best. But I could say below 20 um is good enough if you spin the sample! (See below review for Aeris XRD:) Q: How XRD improved mineral analysis for lithium ores?
Uwe: It means that nobody has published that material yet. So, you need to solve the structure by yourselves. And publish it! Q: Is there any software to adjust the peak? Uwe: HighScore and HighScore Plus is the software by Malvern Panalytical. It can be used to analyze XRD patterns from other brands of X-ray diffractometers.
Uwe: A position of the peak comes from the dimension of a unit cell, an intensity coming from how many electrons are present and where they are. So, everything can be easily calculated in software. So, once we found out what phases are present in the sample (mixture) because we already know the positions of the peaks, we just need to minimize the difference between observed intensities and calculated intensities by cycling fitting procedures until we get reliable results.
Q: What if we cannot find the crystal structure in ICDD?
XRD Software Q: How can I quantify the different phases or different composition? Please shed some more light on this.
27WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 3 2022 < Page 26 MINING NEWS substances having different crystal structures will produce different sets of XRD scans.
Uwe: Only reduces the intensity. A peak shift can be caused by the size of unit cell.
T o protect and improve the lives of the people within the host and neighboring com munities pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act,” CTP Con struction and Mining Corporation or CTPCMC allocated Php7.7 mil lion intended for the implementa tion of projects, programs, and activities (PPAs) on COVID-19 its Social Develop ment and Management Program (SDMP) under Adlay Mining Pro ject (AMP) and Dahican Nickel Project (DNP), the company im plemented essential PPAs in the year 2021. The beneficiaries of PPAs were from the Host and Neighboring communities specifi cally Barangay Adlay, Barangay Dahican, and the Municipality of allocated budget of Php2,060,803.78, a COVID-19 Assistance Center was put up to be the second line of support to the host communities if their ex isting Isolation Rooms have been fully occupied. The company’s employees and their dependents are to be prioritized in the center. The center is offering services that include a free isolation room for those who are identified and confirmed as COVID-19 patients, free vitamins, and over-the-coun ter drugs, 24/7 monitoring by health personnel, and stand-by oxygenAnotherconcentrators.PPAwasthe provision of 59 medical equipment and kits to Barangay Adlay. The provision included a pulse oximeter, ther mal scanner, LCD full digital ultra sound machine, hospital bed, and refrigerator as vaccine storage. The turnover was done on De cember 14, 2021, held at Baran gay Hall of Adlay, attended by Engr. Charlo R. Basadre CTPCMC Resident Mine Manager, Charid O. Cuadrillero ComRel Manager, Hon. Norberto O. Rubi Jr. Baran gay Captain, and Raquel Bung caras assigned nurse. “These are very essential and the key to the people within the com Hon. Rubi said during the
28 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM MINING NEWS By Roniel R. Arguillas CTPCMC allocates P7.7M for COVID-19 initiatives CHIEF OPEN BELT CONVEYOR - BUILT TO HANDLE THE TOUGHEST INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS Industrial Series Conveyors pro vide a wide range of solutions for any application for heavy loads carrying large capacities. These conveyors have been de signed for a rugged and demand ingChiefenvironment.Industrial Conveyors in crease your productivity with longlasting parts designed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our team evaluates your specific application and provides custom solutions. With many different options and attachments to choose from, we will be able to work with you to build a machine that meets your ex act requirements. Chief has a staff of dedicated and experienced engineers and architects available to produce complete three-dimensional per spectives, conveyor or structural layouts, and technical drawings. With many different options and attachments to choose from, we will be able to work with you to build a machine that meets your ex act requirements. Why choose our conveyors? Our conveyors are designed to withstand the demands placed on them in modern industrial applica tions. By utilizing a combination of standard CEMA idlers and selfaligning idlers, this conveyor can easily transport any commodity for extendedAvailabledistances.inawide range of belt widths including standards from 18-96” that can load up to 10,000 metric tons per hour, we offer our conveyors that are completely cus tom designed for a specific location andIfduty.your business needs a new, faster, and more reliable way of transporting items (raw materi als, goods, or products) within the same facility or area, an industrial conveyor system is the right solu tion.We are committed to providing you with high-quality, long-lasting products at competitive prices. Partner with Chief and get the conveyor system your business de mands.
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Adopt-a-Municipality
H inatuan Mining Corp. (HMC) has adopted the Municipalities of Dapa and San Benito in Siargao as an answer to the call of the Adopta-Municipality Program of the Provincial Government of Su rigao del Norte to provide con struction materials, food, and potable water for six months. The aim of the program is to provide aid and relief to the nine municipalities in Siargao affect ed by Super Typhoon Odette. HMC has been chosen as one of the mining companies tapped by the Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte. The aid provided by HMC in the Adopt-a-Municipality Program is the provision of construction materials to the Municipalities of Dapa and San Benito. HMC turned over Php2,007,050.00 worth of vari ous construction materials to the Municipality of Dapa, and Php2,100,408 to the Municipal ity of San Benito. Apart from spending on con struction materials, HMC also covered transportation expens es for the delivery of the items to the recipient municipalities. HMC received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Mu nicipality of San Benito for its generosity and benevolence in donating construction materials.
“The Municipal Government of San Benito, through its Mu nicipal Officials, are very much grateful and deeply honored to receive the Php 2 million worth of construction materials to ben efit the affected 50 families of San Benito, Siargao Island, Su rigao del Norte whose dwelling units were greatly devastated by the onslaught of Super Ty phoon Odette last December 16, 2021.“The people of San Benito, with hearts full of thanksgiving
HMC spends over P4M for Siargao Program
29WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 3 2022 Page 30 > MINING NEWS DMT-GROUP.COM Let DMT be your mining expert; from greenfield exploration to mine closure. TÜV NORD GROUP DMT Consulting Ltd. Lake View Business Park, Nottingham, UK Dr. Vassilis Roubos, +44 1623 726 223 Pankaj Sinha, +44 7815 312053 Arlene Morales, +63 2 825 12 108 consulting@dmt-group.com
30 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM < Page 29 MINING NEWS In recognition of its commitment to promoting disaster prepar edness and response, Taganito Mining Corporation was hailed as the winner of the 2022 Regional Gawad KALASAG Search for Ex cellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitar ian Assistance under Best Private Organization Category. TMC also received the 1st Ga wad KALASAG Seal 2022 award under the Special Recognition Category.Theaward was conferred dur ing the National Disaster Resil ience Month Culmination Program of the Regional Disaster Risk Re duction and Management Coun cil at the Office of Civil Defense Caraga in Butuan City. Gawad KALASAG stands for “Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan, Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan,” a fully institutionalized program of the National Disaster Risk Reduc tion and Management Council. The annual recognition serves as avenue to promote awareness on best practices in the field of DRRM and humanitarian response andTheaction.audits acknowledged TMC’s contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the onslaught of super typhoon Odette.
TMC’s notable interventions during the pandemic include the procurement of Php 15.6 million worth of vaccines for the municipality of Claver, along with other medical equipment and supplies.TMCalso conducted relief and recovery operations within and beyond its host community after the typhoon last December. On behalf of TMC, the award was received by Engr. Cherry May C. Gabunada, Safety Man ager along with Engr. Rommel R. Urbiztondo, Safety Section Head, and Engr. Iren Mae P. Er cillo, Safety Engineer. “TMC has a corporate social responsibility not just to the com munities where we operate, but even beyond, where we extend our resources to those in need,” shared Engr. Gabunada. “This is the third time we are receiving this award and it is a testament of TMC’s commitment to extend assistance beyond our borders. More than ever, these critical times call for the bay anihan spirit of all stakeholders; and our manpower, through our Emergency Response Team, is al ways at your service,” said Engr. Artemio E. Valeroso, TMC Resi dent Mine Manager.
TMC wins 2022 Regional Gawad Kalasag award and jubilation, are likewise extend ing their profound appreciation and gratitude for your gesture of generosity provided to the Munici pality of San Benito,” said the letter signed by Hon. Ma. Gina SumandoMenil, LCB, Municipal Mayor.
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(+632) 73738453; GLOBE Mobile (+63) 917-8517716; and SMART Mobile (+63) 939907-0967 and (+63) 943-708-5400. Website access is available through dustrial.com.ph/.https://www.integralin By Mark Adrian D. Lenon Reference: 1. Helping the Mining Industry (Rotork Brochure)theValveloads/documents-rotork.com/uphttps://www.versions/11565/1/pub000-052-00_0412.pdf2.IntelligentActuatorsinMiningIndustry(RotorkWhitePaper)-https://www.rotork.com/en/media/white-papers/intelligent-valve-actuators-in-the-mining-industry Photo credits: versions/44265/1/loads/documents-rotork.com/uphttps://www.pub002-038-00-1118.pdf
Rotork: Intelligent Valve Actuators for Efficient Mining Operations
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32 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM MINING NEWS
Actuators play a vital role in the operations of the mining industry. As an industry that operates in harsh and unpredict able environments, mining compa nies need reliable valve actuators to ensure operational safety and efficiency. Likewise, selecting the right flow control partner can make the difference between time spent replacing equipment and time spent focusing on long-term goals. Rotork is the world’s largest in dependent manufacturer of heavyduty valve actuators. With over 50 years of experience serving the mining industry, Rotork has been able to supply thousands of actua tors that are found in mining opera tions around the world.[1] In the case of intelligent actuators, Rotork is known for its non-intrusive innova tions which prove to be particularly significant for the mining industry. Designed to withstand the en vironmental challenges of the op erating location, Rotork actuators are built with robust construction. Such actuators are rated IP68, which is the best protection against exposure to grit, dust, moisture, pollutants, corrosive materials, and prolonged periods of total submer sion. This is made possible by the use of O ring seals on spigot joints, double sealing to keep the inter nal parts protected independently from the electrical terminal, and local control buttons and switches that do not penetrate the enclosure wall.[2] Rotork ensures that the in ternal components of its actuators are protected before they leave the manufacturer. To ensure security and efficiency during operation, Rotork actuators utilize a two-way, non-intrusive, wireless communication between the actuator and control center. This is made possible by the following fea tures: a torque-sensing system that maintains absolute accuracy and re peatability throughout the actuator lifespan and a position-sensing sys tem that ensures accurate position measurement for both electronic and manual movements. Furthermore, a handheld setting tool with a secured Bluetooth connection is used for nonintrusive calibration and commission ing. [2] Together, these features en able careful and detailed monitoring away from the actuator. Through Rotork intelligent actua tors, management can benefit from precisely timed maintenance, opti mized¬ process efficiency, and re duced overall cost of ownership. [2] Overall, these benefits help establish effective equipment management which can lead to higher output. Rotork provides worldwide sup port through its international part ners. In the Philippines, customers may communicate with Integral Industrial Management Corpora tion regarding enquiries about procurement, installation, testing and commissioning, and after-sales services.Integral has been a distribu tor and service provider for Ro tork actuators since the company was founded in 2003. To this day, Integral maintains its strong part nership with Rotork through con tinuous manpower training for the distribution and service of Rotork products. As a designated front liner for customer support, Integral possesses the knowledge and ex perience to provide sound actua tion solutions to the mining industry. information about Ro tork and available local support services, customers may contact Integral through the following: PLDT Landline 8696-3634, (+632) 7576-3716, and
MPIC weighs construction of P90-b Cebu-Bohol bridge after Cebu-Cordova link
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) is studying the possibility of build ing a P90-billion bridge that will connect Cordova, Cebu to Bo hol, according to a BusinessMir rorManuelreport. V. Pangilinan, the company’s chairman, said Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has “asked us to look at building a bridge from Cordoba to Bo hol,” but hinted that the project might be too expensive. “That a P90-billion project. The key there is really financing of it because it’s a very big project for us,” Pangilinan said. “I think we have to find out first how we’re going to finance it. There is some chance that financing could be raised for the feasibility study.” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) President Rodrigo E. Franco noted his office will be looking at how to make it com mercially viable for the group. “Viability is the issue be cause the project cost is high. We’re looking for ways to make that viable. If there are ways in the financing side to make it vi able, we will look at it,” he said. Both Pangilinan and Franco could not provide more details. MPTC built Cebu’s third bridge called the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), its first bridge expressway in the Visayas region. MPIC reported that its core net income rose 24 percent to P7.5 billion in the first half from last year’s P6 billion. The company said its con stituent companies delivered a 15-percent increase in contri bution from operations, mainly driven by a strong recovery in road traffic and growth in power consumption as more in dustries ramped up operating capacity.Power accounted for P5.9 bil lion or 60 percent of net operat ing income, toll roads contributed P2.5 billion or 26 percent, water contributed P1.4 billion or 15 per cent, and the other businesses, mainly real estate, hospitals, fuel storage, and light rail, incurred a net loss of P35 million. Revenues rose 25 percent to P243.3 billion from last year’s P194.7 billion. This, however, excludes Manila Electric Co.’s pass-through revenues. Light Rail Manila Corp., which operates the 20-station LRT Line 1, reported a core net loss of P329 million due to the start of the amortization of conces sion assets and borrowing costs. The reported net income attributable to the parent reached P9.5 billion, lower by 9 percent from the previous year when the company reported a gain from the sale of Global Business Power and Don Muang Tollways.
CONSTRUCTION
PHILCONSTRUCT Mindanao 2022 will be mounted from September 8 to 10 at the SMX Convention Center Davao in SM Lanang Premier in Davao City, with the online component to be hosted real-time via the VX Events plat form.PHILCONSTRUCT Mindanao 2022 will come after the success ful PHILCONSTRUCT trade shows in Luzon (June) and the Visayas (July). Just like in the two preceding construction expos, the Mindanao leg this year will be the first time it will take place simultaneously onground and online to reach more stakeholders across and even be yond the region. “We are set to facilitate a truly unique and comprehensive trade show experience for all partici pants in PHILCONSTRUCT’s Mind anao leg,” said Engr. Wilfredo Decena, President of the Philcon struct Events, Exhibitions, and Conferences Corp. (PEECC), the marketing unit of the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA), the organizer of the trade event.With over 200 booths and representing over 500 brands at the pre mier venue for business and networking in Mind anao, PHILCONSTRUCT remains committed to gathering the construc tion industry’s leading lo cal and international play ers in a conducive venue, such as Boysen, Equiprime Optimum Solutions, In framachineries, Topspot, Smarthouse, Zoomlion, and many more! This pres tigious event is sponsored by Pa cific Paints Boysen and Holcim Philippines.“Theevent will showcase indoor and outdoor displays from a wide range of exhibitors and brands— from small to the country’s big gest suppliers and manufacturers.
Overall Chairman “The goal is maintained—to con nect people in the building and construction industry in the island region for this yearly gathering of fering new discoveries, learnings, and networking and marketing op portunities,” Elepano said In the PHILCONSTRUCT tra dition, the Mindanao trade show will also hold seminars that will be facilitated by some of its partner organizations and that participants should watch out for. For instance, the Association of Carriers and Equipment Les
PHILCONSTRUCT gears up for another hybrid show in
PHILCONSTRUCT Mindanao on its first hybrid edition will surely reach the greatest number of par ticipants as it will go to customers and builders if they are not able to go to the trade show site,” added Engr. Junn Elepano, Philconstruct
Mindanao this September Page 37 >
36 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM CONSTRUCTION NEWS
The largest and the most an ticipated construction trade show series is set to return to Mindanao, but this time in a hybrid format.
Mindanao 2022 will also be held simultane ously with two other much-antic ipated industry events, all in the same venue—the Hotel Suppliers Show Mindanao 2022, the leading hotels, resorts, restaurants, and leisure trade show in the region, and the Print & Label, Packaging & Plastics Mindanao 2022, a compre hensive expo for the packaging, printing, and plastics industries. Admission to PHILCONSTRUCT Mindanao 2022 is FREE! The threeday trade show will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Register for free through event.philconstructevents. com. For inquiries and other con cerns, send an email to info@phil constructevents.com. To boost air travel, the De partment of Transportation is investing P2.5 billion to up grade three airports to accommo date more flights and passengers, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said in August. This developed as the Baguio City government aims to resume commercial operations of the Loa kan Airport for the Christmas sea son, following discussions with top officials in the aviation industry. Under the DOTr’s aviation in frastructure program in the 2023 national budget, Tacloban City’s Daniel Romualdez Airport would receive the bulk of the new fund ing at P1.42 billion, said Campos, the House appropriations commit tee vice Antique’schairperson.EvelioJavier Airport would receive P500 million, while the Laoag International Airport would get P445 million, he added.
P2.5 billion allocated to DoTr for provincial airports upgrade 36 sors, Inc. (ACEL) will hold separate learning sessions about the Fun damentals of Rigging, Essentials of Supervisory Leadership, and Basic Framework Designs & Basic Calculations while The Philip pine Overseas Construction Board (POCB) will also facilitate informa tionPHILCONSTRUCTsessions.
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37WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 3 2022 Makati Rep. Luis Campos (left) and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. CONSTRUCTION NEWS
The Civil Aviation Author ity of the Philippines designates Tacloban City Airport as a princi pal class 1 domestic airport, Laoag International as a secondary/alter nate international airport, and An tique Airport as a principal class 2 domesticMeanwhile,airport.Baguio Mayor Ben jamin Magalong said the CAAP is set to spend some P68 million for the rehabilitation of the aviation facility.“They’re allotting P68 million for the rehabilitation of the terminal, so they are rushing to finish it by No vember, because (Transportation) Secretary Jaime Bautista asked me what’s my recommendation when to open it,” he said. “I said if we can avail of the Christmas season, that would be in the fourth quarter of this year, then (Bautista) said, ‘Okay, let’s go for November’,” Magalong added.
The rehabilitation of Loakan Air port will include the improvement of the instrument landing system (ILS), along with the extension of the runway by 100 meters. Magalong said the rehab work will also address the drainage is sues, and remove the obstructions from the airport, with structures along the vicinity set to be demol ished.The mayor said some of the resi dents have already received two notices to vacate the area, as the Loakan Airport has a 150-meter buffer zone. Prior to the pandemic, diver sified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. said it would submit an unso licited proposal to rehabilitate and reopen the Loakan Airport to com mercial flights.
Meanwhile, Campos said the Bukidnon Airport, which is pro jected to commence commercial operations in 2023, shall have P80 million, while the Ninoy Aquino International Airport would re ceive P43 million. “We are all for increased spending to build up our aviation infrastructure across all regions,” he said.
38 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM COMPANY NEWS Business needs are everchanging in the country. Aware of these uncertainties, Chevron Philippines Inc.’s (CPI’s) enhanced business to business (B2B) service, Caltex Business Solutions, addresses customers’ critical operational and business issues by building business solutions to help them achieve their goals. Committed to long-term technology development, Caltex Business Solutions is intuitive and keeps consumers’ needs in mind. CPI’s extensive experience in the downstream oil industry coupled with its diverse portfolio of base oils, specialty chemicals, and lubricants positions Caltex Business Solutions as a reliable partner in its customers’ success. Beyond CPI’s renowned highquality fuel and lubricant products, Caltex Business Solutions is here to help clients overcome operational efficiency challenges by providing training, expert advisories, onsite maintenance services, bestin-class assessments, equipment health monitoring programs, oil cleanliness and contamination control, to name a few. By working together to deliver efficient business performance for our customers, CPI and Caltex Business Solutions focus on three critical areas to transform your business into one that is worldclass through Caltex Advisory: 1. IMPROVE AND ENHANCE WITH A CUSTOMIZED PLAN Fully trained on Caltex Reliability-Based Lubrication principles, our team of highly qualified specialists will work closely with you to develop a customized business plan for improving operational efficiency and cost control, with the ultimate goal of enhancing business performance. 2. OPERATE EFFICIENTLY WITH EXPERT TECHNICAL REVIEWS Redefine efficiency with the help of our skilled team. From expert oil analysis for both lubricants and fuels in advanced oil testing laboratories to guidance on solutions for better tracking and control, our team is fully equipped to keep your business running smoothly and reliably, providing your business with a true competitive advantage. 3. STAY ON TRACK WITH ONGOING REVIEWS Page 39 > Let’s make every journey Smoother and Better, Together with Caltex
EnergyRaphaelSecretaryLotilla
“In order to attract sufficient investment for that, we need to be able to clearly indicate what are the policies of the government… These are the things that have mo tivated the department, particular ly myself, to benefit from the wis dom and experience of our senior legal“Becauseadvisers.”whatever we are go ing to propose to the President and Congress will have fundamental effects on the lives of our people not only (in) the present but also in future generations,” he said.
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“The functions of the law and energy advisory panel include advising the department on vari ous energy-related reform initia tives and legal matters, including promotion of indigenous as well as low-carbon sources,” the DOE chiefLotillasaid.said for the initial discus sions of the panel, the legal advi sors will tackle legal matters in the upstream oil and gas sector in gen eral and the Malampaya-Camago project.Earlier, Lotilla said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. directed the agency to ensure a certain, stable, and clear regula tory framework to address uncer tainties in the legal environment for investments in the upstream industry and also to create a better investment climate.
Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla has announced that the agency has formed a law and en ergy advisory panel that will ad dress the challenges and bottle necks in the regulatory framework in the energy sector. In a virtual press conference, Lotilla said DOE has pooled senior legal advisers, which include re tired Chief Justices Artemio Pan ganiban and Reynato Puno who will serve as private citizens and will not assume any public office. Legal advisors from the private sector are also joining the advisory group, he added.
CONSTRUCTION NEWS 40 ISSUE 2 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM
DBM: P453-B FOR EXPENDITURECLIMATE-RELATEDFOR2023
Korea Eximbank offers to fund new projects in DPWH pipeline
The meeting held August 12 at the DPWH Central Office was also participated by UPMO Project Directors Ramon A. Arriola III, Sharif Madsmo H. Hasim, and Benjamin A. Bau tista; UPMO Project Manager Teresita V. Bauzon; KEXIM Deputy Director Yun hak Lee; and Program Officer Ana Labella.
IM for funding of the detailed engi neering design and civil works for its construction.OtherKorea-funded ODA fea sibility studies discussed during the meeting include the Philippines-Ko rea Project Preparation Facility
“With the continuous help of im plementing agencies and of every Filipino, we can work towards cli mate resiliency to safeguard a sus tainable future for our country,” Pangandaman stated. The DBM, along with the Cli mate Change Commission, institu tionalized the Climate Change Ex penditure Tagging (CCET) process through Joint Memorandum Circu lar Citing2015-01.CCET results, the DBM said P264.89 billion will be ear marked for Water Sufficiency projects which will be given prior ity by the current administration; PHP131.51 billion for Sustainable Energy; and PHP40.78 billion for FoodTheSecurity.Department of Public Works and Highways will also receive a budget allocation of PHP168.9 bil lion for its Flood Management Pro gram.The National Greening Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will get PHP2.49 billion for the planting of 6.18 million seedlings in 11,631 hec tares of land resources, Protected Areas Development and Manage ment Program, and Management of Coastal and Marine Areas.
The Korea Eximbank (KEXIM) Manila Representative Office is keen on levelling up funding support to infrastructure develop ment priorities of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).KEXIM is the implementing agency of the Korean Govern ment’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) Official Development Assistance (ODA) program in the Philippines. In a meeting with DPWH Secre tary Manuel M. Bonoan and Sen ior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, KEXIM-EDCF Country Director and Chief Representative Jaejeong Moon expressed interest to support DPWH pipeline new projects to ‘Build Better More’. The leaders of the two agen cies discussed ways of further strengthening the cooperation be tween Philippines and South Korea. The Korean Government intends to further increase the EDCF con cessional loan assistance to the Philippines to fund development projects under the President Ferdi nand Marcos Jr. administration. The EDCF assists DPWH-imple mented flood control, roads and bridges and flood control projects managed by the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO). According to Sadain, who is in-charge of ODA-funded pro jects, three EDCF projects are ongoing, namely the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project in Northern Samar, Panguil Bay Bridge Project in Northern Mindanao, and Inte grated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in the Low-Lying Areas of Pampanga in Central Luzon. Earlier this year, the Philippine government also secured a loan from South Korea to cover funds for the engineering services of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project. It is an interisland bridges pro ject that will entails the construc tion of two sea-crossing, four-lane bridges totaling 32.47 kilometers — including connecting roads and interchanges — to connect the is lands of Panay, Guimaras and Ne gros in Western Visayas, added Sadain.TheEDCF also provided a grant for the recently completed feasi bility study of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project Phase II that aims to construct two bridges – the Laoang 2 Bridge (360-meter) and Calomotan Bridge (630-meter). This includes the upgrading of 12.5 kilometers of existing road from Laoang-Palapag Road Junc tion to Catarman-Laoang Road Junction that will connect the is land of Laoang to mainland North ernDPWHSamar.is looking forward to the approval of submitted final feasi bility study report to National Eco nomic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board and the subsequent endorsement of the project to KEX
ControlPampangajectPampangaPampangaManagementProject;CoastalmuanRd.,muan-Minalin-Santo(38.4km),(108MountSantoLubao-Guagua-Sasmuan-Minalin-forTomasBypassRoad(30km),KitangladRangeBeltRoadkm);TheCapas-BotolanRoadandLubao-Guagua-SasTomasBypassSection4:Minalin(Bulac)-SasViaduct(7km);MaasinCityBypassRoad;TheIconicBohol-LeyteBridgeandIntegratedFloodMasterPlanofLowerRiverBasincoveringDeltaDevelopmentProPhaseIIandCentralLuzon-RiverFloodwayFloodProject.
The proposed National Ex penditure Program (NEP) for 2023 will include PHP453 bil lion for climate change adaptation and mitigation programs and pro jects.In a press statement, the De partment of Budget and Man agement (DBM) said the climaterelated expenditure for next year is 56.4 percent higher than the PHP289.73 billion this year. Budget Secretary Amenah Pan gandaman said her office docu mented an average of 21.3 percent increase in climate-related expen ditures from 2015 to 2023.
The proposed PHP5.268 trillion national budget for 2023 will serve as a “springboard for the economy’s full-speed recov ery,” the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said in August.Budget Secretary Amenah Pan gandaman said the 2023 budget spending plan was crafted based on and in support of the Marcos administration’s eight-point socio economic agenda.
Around PHP2.5 billion will also be allocated for the DOTr’s Fuel Subsidy Program for the transport sector affected by the rising fuel prices.
The DBM also noted that the Department of Energy would re ceive PHP476 million to realize the government’s bid for “affordable and clean” energy.
Of the PHP476 million, around PHP145.21 million will be ear marked for the DOE’s Renewable Energy Development Program, PHP252.35 million for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Pro gram, and PHP78.86 million for the Alternative Fuels and Technologies Program.Thebudget for the DOE’s pro grams will complement the continu ation of the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) PHP1.63billion Sitio Electrification Project, the DBM “Finally,added.amid the expected continuing elevated cost of fuel, the budget for the DA’s Fuel As sistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk will be doubled at PHP1 billion. Of this amount, PHP510.45 million will be for corn farmers, while the re maining PHP489.55 million will be for the fisherfolk,” the agency said.
The proposed budget is an chored on the theme, “Agenda for Prosperity: Economic Transforma tion Towards Inclusivity and Sus tainability.”The2023 budget plan, Pangan daman said, would address the im mediate and pressing concerns of Filipinos in the near- and mediumterm.The House of Representatives is targeting to finish committee and plenary deliberations on the budg et proposal before Oct. 1, when Congress is scheduled to go on its first recess that will last until Nov. 6.
HOR Photos
DBM: 2023 national budget ‘springboard’ for full-speed recovery 41WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 2 2022 CONSTRUCTION NEWS Budget Secretary
“The administration’s first fullyear budget shall serve as a springboard for the economy’s fullspeed recovery and meaningful structural reform,” Pangandaman said, as the House of Representa tives began its deliberations on the proposed 2023 budget.
left)PangadamanAmenah(inset,submitstoHouseSpeakerMartinG.RomualdeztheproposedP5.268-trillionnationalbudgetfor2023.RomualdezthenpresidesoverameetingofthemembersoftheDevelopmentBudgetCoordinationCommittee(DBCC)onthestateoftheeconomyandthemacro-economicparameterstheExecutivebranchusedinputtingtogethernextyear’sspendingprogram.
The proposed budget’s first pillar intends to strengthen the Filipinos’ purchasing power by covering the first three items in the eight-point socioeconomic agenda, which include food security, im proved transportation, and afford able and clean energy, the DBM said.The DBM noted that the Depart ment of Agriculture (DA)’s banner programs, including the PHP30.55billion National Rice Program, would receive a larger share in 2023 to ensure food security in the country.Around PHP1.20 trillion will also be earmarked for the “Build Better More Program” to sustain the ad ministration’s continued push for infrastructure development, the DBM added, noting that it is equiv alent to 5 percent of the gross do mestic product (GDP) for road, rail, transport, and flood control infra structures.TheDBM said bulk of the infra structure budget would go to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the De partment of Transportation (DOTr).
Filipinos’ purchasing power
Around PHP272.87 billion will be used to finance the DPWH’s “effi cient” transport and logistics sys tem for goods and services, while some PHP167.12 billion will be allo cated for the DOTr’s establishment of an “efficient and reliable” mass public transportation system.
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CONSTRUCTION NEWS
43WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 3 2022 Salceda: PBBM’s 2023 NEP gives PH railways biggest ever budget at P114 billion
Salceda added he is working with the DOTr for the establish ment of the Legazpi-Daraga Tram way, which will make use of the defunct PNR lines passing through the Municipality of Daraga and the City of Legazpi to create a metrowide tramway system.
House Ways and Means chairman Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s proposed P5.268 trillion budget for next year packs the “largest ever railway budget of any Philippine president” — P113.99 billion or almost five times that of the 2022 outlay of P23.12 billion.The proposed National Expendi tures Program (NEP) for next year was submitted to the Lower House in August.“President Marcos has virtually declared that the era of big rail is back and that he has fired the opening shot to roll out Build, Bet ter, More,” Salceda said.
As principal author of a House resolution that formally institu tionalized Marcos’ infrastructure spending targets and gave it the name Build Better More or BBM, Salceda said the President “is mov ing toward national backbone pro jects.” in reference to PRRD’s main infrastructureHesaidwhile the strategy of for mer President Rodrigo Duterte was to bring the resources of the national government down to the country side, PBBM is going to maximize the benefits of that strategy by bringing these thousands of smaller infra structure projects together through big connecting projects, foremost of them the “Presidentrailways.Marcos is increas ingly looking like the Big-Ticket Project President, especially Big Rail. PBBM multiplied the Railway Program project almost five times that of the 2022 amount, or from 23.12 billion to 113.99 billion. Rail got the biggest increment percentagewise, among major line items in the 2023 NEP,” he pointed out. Salceda added the bulk of the P380 billion unprogrammed appro priations for foreign-assisted pro jects will come from loan proceeds for railway projects, and some P108 billion in peso counterpart for rail projects have already been an ticipated in the budget. He said the government seems bullish about receiving loan pro ceeds from the Bicol Railway pro ject, most especially, which is now being renegotiated with China. “President Marcos proposes a large window of unprogrammed appropriations from loan proceeds so that, once the Bicol Railway loans actually materialize, we can immediately get the ball rolling with construction,” he added.
“This would be the largest ever railway budget of any Philippine president, making PBBM decisively the ‘Railways President…If all of these developments keep going well, PBBM will be the President of the Golden Age of Trains in the country,” he said. Rail is decisively better at lower ing logistics costs than any other land transport option. It is the cheapest per-kilogram option for freight. “Railway is also necessarily of longer distance than road infra structure. So, PBBM is clearly try ing to build a national backbone through rail. Inter-regional trade is bound to expand dramatically once this program is completed,” he said, adding he has also thanked Trans port Secretary Jaime Bautista for “keeping Bicol Rail in the agenda” and appealed to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno to “move forward with the Bicol Rail loans.”
“I have asked Secretary Dio kno to give the green light to the loans for Bicol Railway and the rest of the PNR South Long Haul project. If anything, the massive unprogrammed appropriations for loan proceeds is a sign that the na tional government is optimistic we will have negotiations completed by this year, and loan proceeds re ceived by next year,” he said.
Therefore, to cope with the diffi culties that the transition will bring, “The transition to a sustainable low carbon economy will definitely reshape the industries.”extractive
Around the world, most in dustries are dependent on the consumption of fossil fuels. Can everyone cope with the demand for the energy transition? Last, 29 July 2021, PH-EITI National Conference’s theme was “Resiliency in Transparency”. This year’s conference was a roundta ble discussion (RTD) with the topic of “Preparing the Extractives for Energy Transition”. It was a hybrid event last 4 May 2022 in F1 Hotel Manila and via online access via Zoom.Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative or PH-EITI is a government-led, multi-stake holder initiative implementing EITI, the global standard that promotes the open, accountable manage ment, and good governance of oil, gas, and mineral resources. The ini tiative was founded on 26 Novem ber 2013 through Executive Order No. 147 series of 2013. This was first announced as a government com mitment through Executive Order No. 79, series of 2012. This year, they had a total of 508 participants in the roundta ble discussion through different platforms, where 91 people were present at the venue, while 305 were online via Zoom and 203 via Facebook Live. Many of the Zoom attendees were from the govern ment, while the rest were from the industry sector, civil society, aca deme, and media. In the RTD, the different pre senters and speakers discussed how the various sectors of our country plan to address the issue of climate change in order to prevent future environmental problems.
To mitigate impacts, governments around the world are identifying strategies to tackle the main con tributors to temperature rise, fore most of which is the burning of fos sil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.”
On a global scale, what makes climate change difficult to control is because it is connected to eve ryone’s dependence on fossil fuels. Therefore, the concept of energy transition is seen as a possible so lution. However, the transition is not easy. In some countries and in dustries, it might not even be 100% possible.According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRE NA), energy transition is “a path way toward the transformation of the global energy sector from fossil-based to zero-carbon by the second half of this century.” From the overview of the PHEITI report, “Countries moving to wards this direction are expected to gradually, if not rapidly, modify their energy mix, and address any economic and social implications of theThetransition.”Philippines is one of the sig natories of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This is an international treaty that requires governments to incorpo rate climate change mitigation and adaptation commitments across all sectors of society.
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In relation to signing the treaty, the Philippines formulated the Phil ippine Energy Plan 2020-2040 to bring in more clean energy fuels and technologies that will dominate the country’s portfolio of plans and programs for the energy sector in the next two decades. The plan in cludes the government’s vision for transition, which is aimed toward the sustainability of all available energy sources, as well as the di versification of the country’s en ergy mix. Which industries are fore casted to struggle in this transi tion?
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By Marcelle P. Villegas
“The mining, oil, gas, and coal industries are among industries directly affected by the global shift to net-zero emissions. As the energy transition progresses, fos sil fuel-producing or dependent communities and countries will face challenges sustaining revenues and the national economy in gen eral. Communities that rely on rev enues and jobs generated by fos sil fuel production are among the most vulnerable to the transition.”
MINING NEWS PH-EITI
Roundtable Discussion on Energy Transition
“The Earth’s rising surface tem perature is now a critical global concern, considering its impacts on biodiversity, climate, food security, and human health, among others.
< Page 44 MINING NEWS
Engr. Romualdo Aguilos, Engi neer IV, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, identified the risks of the energy transition for the mines group, as well as the opportunities for the environment, the economy, and the people.
To tackle the issues behind ener gy transition, PH-EITI and the De partment of Energy- Energy Policy and Planning Bureau (DOE-EPPB) organized this RTD to provide en ergy stakeholders with information on existing policies and future gov ernment programs that will lead to the shift to a sustainable and low carbon economy. “Using the PHEITI platform, the RTD intended to elicit stakeholder perspectives on energy transition and thresh out issues on the implications and effects of the transition on various sectors.”Moreover, the goal of the RTD this year is to inform the par ticipants and involved industries about the Philippines’ progress in implementing transition plans, poli cies, and commitments, as well as the rollout of government programs to sectors that will be affected by theTheshift.roundtable discussion on energy transition was moderated by Ms. Mary Jane Baldago, the managing specialist for stakehold er engagement of PH-EITI. Atty. Felix William B. Fuente bella gave the Welcome Remarks. He is the Senior Undersecretary of DOE. He stated the questions that may arise in the energy shift such as the consequences of the energy transition, issues and concerns that should be addressed, the bounda ries to be pushed, and what are the negotiables.Dir.Michael O. Sinocruz, OICDirector, Energy Policy and Plan ning Bureau, DOE, said that the Philippine Energy Plan 2020-2040 is connected with the goals of Amb isyon Natin 2040 which represents the collective long-term vision and aspirations of the Philippines in the coming years. In support of these aspirations, he shared that the DOE formulated the 9-point energy agenda, among which are provid ing access to electricity for all Fili pinos, promoting energy efficiency, and establishing a pro-consumer framework.
Dir. Dona Minimo, Director, In ternational Finance Group, De partment of Finance, reported that the Philippines’ greenhouse gas emissions are currently a mi nor contributor to global warm ing at approximately 0.33% of the world’s share of greenhouse gas (GHD) emissions. “However, due to its economic development and rap idly growing population, the Philip pines is projected to have sharp in creases in CO2 emissions over the incoming decades. GDP growth is expected to strengthen seven to 8% in the medium term.”
The mining sector’s perspec tive on energy transition was dis cussed by Atty. Christer James Ray A. Gaudiano, Director of CEMEX Holdings Philippines-Enterprise Risk Management, Corporate Communications, and Public Af fairs. He reported the following: a. Informed everyone that the cement companies have been transitioning to green cement in cluding: (i) launch of green cement which uses a lower clinker factor in production, (ii) decarbonization of operations in using by-products of raw materials of other industries as part of the manufacturing process, and (iii) use of plastic waste or inor ganic waste as alternative fuels for clinker production. b. Shared investments in waste heat recovery (WHR) facilities to be able to produce electricity in the plant. SOLID Cement in Antipolo has a WHR that produces 12% of the energy needs of the plant and APO Cement in Cebu has a WHR
45WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM • ISSUE 3 2022 Page 46 > producing communities and coun tries will have to find alternative revenue sources to replace the lost income.“On the other hand, increased deployment of modern renewable energy and energy-efficient tech nologies also means an increased demand for rare earth elements and other mined inputs. This will require a substantial ramp-up of existing production capacity. This means a transition to a sustainable low carbon economy will definitely reshape the extractive industries.”
Approaches to Make Strategic Mine Planning Successful Strategic Mine Planning (SMP) encompasses tech nical feasibility, economic viability, social and environmental aspects. It is essential in ensuring optimal resource extraction and sets the mining pro ject’s technical and economic direction. Yet a plethora of mines do not fully engage in this kind of mine plan ning. The reason for this? Perhaps they have yet to figure out the approaches to make use of its technol ogy in maximizing the value of their increasingly scarce resources.Inthisarticle, we will focus on the four approach es in producing a strategic mine plan that is robust enough to provide mine planners or decision-makers the confidence in their plans amid market uncertain ties. This kind of confidence is made possible through the existing technology from Dassault Systèmes. But first, we need the basics of distinguishing the following from the other: mine plan and mine schedule, and strategic mine planning and tactical mine plan ning. These are often used interchangeably in the min ing industry despite pertaining to different things.
Defining Reserves and Assessing Strategies
SMP and tactical mine planning are de fined by Dassault Systèmes GEOVIA Mining Industry Process Consultant Joaquin Romero as “SMP concen trates on long-range production planning aimed at maximizing the value derived from exploiting an ore deposit. Tactical mine planning focuses on short-range plans to maintain operational viability.” Hence, the long-term strategic mine plan is suscep tible to various forces, both internal and external (e.g. geological knowledge, economic and market vola tilities, technological advancements, and legislative changes).
Traditionally, in a surface mine, planners use the Lerchs-Grossmann (L&G) algorithm in defining re serves. This generates pit shells that maximizes total undiscounted cash flows. When planners identify the final pit, they create sequences called, “nested pit shells” as pushbacks to reach the final pit. However, most of these nested pit shells are not feasible in the mineWhatoperations.should be the solution in this traditional ap proach’s geometry-related issue? A flexible approach that modifies L&G algorithm. How? “By incorporating a starting point and direction for the extraction, and By Engr. Mae Ann R. Cabasag
According to Mark Bowater, author of Crimes Against Mine Planning, “A mine plan is the set of things to be done to allow something to be achieved and in cludes mine designs, plus a schedule, plus the commu nication of it all.” Mine schedule, on the other hand, is “the sequence of activities carried out at the mine site to achieve target outcomes. [It] includes a database of the quantities of the task to be scheduled, along with equipment productivities, a calendar and then some form of sequence path for equipment to carry out thoseMeanwhile,tasks.”
46 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM Page 50 > MINING NEWS that produces 8% of the energy needs of the plant. c. Recommended passing the Extended Producers Responsibility bill which requires plastic users and manufacturers to recycle or divert plastic waste d. Encouraged and maximized the use of cement kilns in cement plants as waste eaters instead of landfills. Cement Plants will be able to use waste as an alternative fuel to coal. e. Encouraged the use of green cement (cement with low clinker factor) in the use of public con structionFinally,projects.Mr.Mark Burnett enu merated the role of EITI in the en ergy transition. He is the Europe and Policy Manager for EITI Inter national. He stated that the EITI board has set the direction for en gagement on the energy transition, namely:1.EITI should advance econom ic implications of energy transition and use of the EITI data, 2. EITI should build capacity for stakeholder groups to engage and inform debate risks and opportu nities associated with the energy transition,3.EITI should consider main streaming transparency on the energy transition through the EITI standards and guidance, and 4. EITI should engage industry and institutional investors in discus sions about industry trends and how energy transition may affect extractives transparency. Editor’s Note: The Philippines formally withdrew from the EITI in June 2022, after the Depart ment of Finance, which chairs the Philippine EITI, took issue with how the country was assessed by the organization in coming up with its February 2022 implementation score. “We find that the manner by which the EITI Board undertakes its Validation is unduly subjective, biased, and unfair. The Philippines has no confidence in the ability of the EITI to undertake an impartial, transparent, and evidence-based Validation process,” said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III in a letter to EITI chair Helen Clark last June 20. Reference: PHEITI Website at ti.dof.gov.ph/resources/https://phei < Page 45
48 ISSUE 3 2022 • WWW.PHILIPPINE-RESOURCES.COM Automatic Product Sampler (APS) for Coal Analysis XRF Technology for Operational Efficiency 1. SAMPLE COLLECTION Samples are collected from the belt automatically using a cross belt sampler • Automatic operation using the plant’s distributed control system (DCS) • No stopping or slowing the belt • One sample every 15 minutes The system can be designed to sampling and preparation standards, including: • ISO 12743: Copper, lead, zinc, nickel • ISO 13909: Coke • ASTM E877: Chemical analysis • ASTM D7430: Coal 2. SAMPLE PREPARATION Collected samples are crushed to the required size • From 15 kg to a 500 g puck • From 50 mm to 4.5 mm (Crusher 1) • From 4.5 mm to 200 µm (Crusher 2) Coal/ore moisture content is recorded Entire preparation process is automatically controlled and monitored 3. SAMPLE ANALYSIS VANTA XRF Measurement and Analysis • Quantification of up to 30 elements in one measurement • Detection down to 1 ppm for key elements • Analysis of light elements, including magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), and sulfur (S) Easy integration: • No external control box • Control via the Vanta Connect API or a PLC and discrete wire Rugged: • Vibration tested (MIL STD) • IP54 rated • Industrial locking connectors KEY 1.FEATURESAdvanced Software Capabilities • Direct stream of inputs into plant control systems • AI advisory capability to optimize operations 2. Rugged System • Modular design for ease of maintenance • Lower maintenance cost 3. Designed According to Industrial Standards • ISO 12743 • ISO 13909 • ASTM E877 • ASTM D7430 4. Ease of Implementation • Seamless integration into existing plants 5. Profit oriented Solution • Reduce shutdowns • Improve productivity/efficiency • Fast return on investment 6. Fully Automated • High productivity • Continuous belt operation 7. Real time laboratory • Fully automated chemical analysis • Laboratory measurementsquality Learn more at ims.com/en/insight/howhttps://www.olympustoautomate sampling and analysis-of ores and mined materials/ TRADERS INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CO., INC. 24th Floor Trident Tower 312 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City 1209 Philippines E: trisco@pldtdsl.net T: +632 8817 9004 | +632 8844 0749 M: +63 9175818704 Automatic Product Sampler (APS) for Coal Analysis XRF Technology for Operational Efficiency COMPANY NEWS
Romero elaborated. With the combination of the DS GEOVIA Whittle and SIMULIA process-automation tools, Das sault Systèmes tested this flexible approach by generating 1,600 to 2,400 scenarios and produced a value map where one can easily determine the “best starting region and corresponding directions.”
REFERENCE: Dassault Syste mes. (2022). Strategic Mine Plan ning Articles 1-4.
< Page 46 then building a sequence schedule that may align better with the mine project’s strategic requirements,”
LIMA Estate is in Lipa, Malvar, Batangas is 794 hectares. This is a PEZA-registered economic zone. The LIMA Central Business District is Batangas’s first fully integrated CBD (Central Business District) de velopment. LIMA Tower One is the first of 6 towers to be built in the LIMA Office Park Campus in 2022. On the sustainability at LIMA Estate, “Aboitiz InfraCapital is gearing up for the transforma tion of the LIMA Estate into a smart, next-generation economic center in the thriving invest ment hub of Batangas.” More on its infrastructure features, “fully complemented by a reli able infrastructure system, LIMA is supported by affiliates of the Aboitiz Group to ensure ease of doing business for our locators.” Another feature is having a “PEZA and BOC (Bureau of Cus toms) One-stop Shop.” There is the convenience of PEZA and BOC of fices located inside the park that provides 24/7 service to LIMA Technology Center locators. This feature will enhance ecozone link ages with the local government, communities, businesses, and oth er stakeholders.AsidefromLIMA Estate, AIC’s other Economic Estates include the West Cebu Estate in Balam ban, Cebu, and the MEZ2 Estate in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. West Cebu Estate covers 540 hectares, while MEZ2 Estate has a span of 63 Inhectares.summary, Aboitiz InfraCa pital Economic Estates today has 1,100 hectares of industrial busi ness parks currently being op erated; 60,000 sqm GLA (gross leasable area) for office buildings in Cebu, Makati, and Ortigas; with a total of 90,000 jobs generated across Central Visayas and South ern Luzon; 200,000 sqm PEZA-ac credited office spaces under plan ning; and 100,000 sqm GLA of commercial retail spaces in Cebu and“WeBatangas.continue to deliver in novative concepts translated to thriving fully-integrated industrial estates and commercial communi ties for 30 years, known for its de liberately planned, and purposely designed developments.”
In Part 2 of this article, we dis cuss mine production-scale plan, uncertainties and risks associated in your SMP, how to optimize your production schedule, and how GEOVIA’s SMP solutions will pave your Strategic Mine Plan’s ap proaches to success.
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On the second part of the PICC Luncheon, Mr. Antonio Peñalver, Executive Director of Aboitiz Con struction, Inc. gave a presentation about “ACI’s Best Practices in the Construction Industry.”
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
“We strongly affirm that as we drive towards expanding our op erations and setting a national footprint, we have started to implement innovative programs that will continue this momentum throughout the rest of 2022.”
(Left) Atty Patricia A.O. Bunye is Senior Partner and the Deputy Managing Partner for Administration of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia. She was the emcee of the event. (Right) Mr. Jolan Formalejo, Vice President for Inventory Generation Group of Aboitiz InfraCapital [Photos by PICC] trial-anchored Estates comple mented by Commercial, Residen tial and Institutional components.”
It is noteworthy to mention that last May 2022, Aboitiz Con struction successfully finished the construction of another 69kV overhead transmission line project that consists of 37 electric poles of Lima Enerzone (LEZ) in Lipa City, Batangas.Thisproject is part of a bigger move to strengthen the power de livery in Lima Estate. This is pos sible through a partnership be tween Aboitiz Construction and Lima Enerzone. Another objective of the project is to improve power reliability in the area. Another milestone for Aboitiz Construction took place in March 2021. The company completed the design and construction of Berth for one of the most modern con tainer ports in the country, the Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. “The construction of Berth has increased the turnaround time of loading of vessels. This means more vessels can now dock at the terminal to bring more pro duce and agricultural products in and out of the region, poten tially creating demand. A total of 121 employees were hired for the said project and out of this number, around 72% were hired locally.”
Aside from Aboitiz InfraCapi tal’s best practices in the construc tion industry, he discussed “how ACI is proactively transforming towards becoming a well-known and most trusted contractor in the country.”
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(AIC), and Mr.
By Marcelle P. Villegas
ver, Executive Director of Aboitiz Con struction, Inc. graced the event with their presentations and talks on their compa ny’s achievements, ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects, and best practices in the industry.
Aboitiz
Mr. Jolan Formalejo’s presentation was titled “Aboitiz InfraCapital: Industrializa tion and Investments in South Luzon.” began his presentation by report ing that 2021 was a banner year for AIC Economic Estates. AIC received a total of 9 honors, including the International Fi nance Real Estate Awards and Property Guru Property Awards for Best Industrial Developer in Asia. LIMA Estate was rec ognized as the Country Winner for Best Industrial Development. Mr. Formalejo enumerated the signifi cant numbers concerning Region IV-A – CALABARZON in terms of economic growth and the number of investors, namely:• 7.6% annual economic growth rate in 2021—the fastest growing re gion of the country • 2.51% economic growth from CALABARZON-based industries • P4.87 billion in foreign invest ment pledges for projects in CALA BARZON for Q1 2022 • 1,700 estimated foreign compa nies currently operating in the region • 6.8 million estimated labor force in CALABARZON as of Dec 2021 • 1,314 new infrastructure projects completed in 2021 alone with a total cost of P7.17 billion From his report, the CALABARZON Industrial Belt is host to several industries such as manufacturing (automotive, elec tronics, garments, agricultural products, etc.), logistics, healthcare, construction, energy, and tourism. Focusing on Batangas, the province is boosting its infrastructure projects with the help of the PPP (Public Private Part nership) Center. “This partnership will help decentralize Metro Manila by opening up more employment opportunities through the construction of additional infrastruc ture and development facilities in the re gion.”These projects include the Batangas International Airport, Batangas Port De velopment Phase IV, Batangas City Ac cess Zone, Calamba-Batangas Railway Spur Line, and Batangas Regional Food Terminal.TheBatangas Industrial Belt has a total land area of 316,581 hectares or 3,165.81 km . This is considered CALABARZON’s industrial powerhouse. Batangas is the second richest province in the Philippines in 2020 in terms of net assets. “PEZA (Phil ippine Economic Zone Authority) bats for the creation of more ecozones, particu larly in land-rich Batangas.”
He
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The most prevalent industries in the area are the oil refinery, natural gas, processed food, gifts, housewares, and wearables, he added. Mr. Formalejo also talked about the Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates, namely the MEZ2 Estate, LIMA Estate, and West Cebu Estate. These are “Indus
Mr. Antonio Peñalver (Executive Director, Aboitiz Construction, Inc.) at the Philippine Infrastructure and Construction Club, Seda Hotel BGC [Photo by Marcelle P. Villegas]
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
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on Investments,Industrialization,andBestPractices The Philippine Infrastructure and Construction Club hosted its first face-to-face luncheon of the year last 24 June 2022 at Seda Hotel BGC, with executives from Aboitiz InfraCapi tal and Aboitiz Construction, Inc. as their mainMr.speakers.JolanFormalejo, Vice President for Inventory Generation Group
Aboitiz of In fraCapital Antonio Peñal
