ARTA — The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) and the central bank are set to streamline the process for obtaining small-scale mining permits, ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez announced on Friday. At a press conference, Perez discussed the challenges small-scale miners face in selling their gold legally due to the complex permit process.
According to Philippines News Agency, discussions with regional officials from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) revealed that only two small-scale mining organizations currently sell their gold to the central bank. Many others opt for the black market, where they sell at lower prices because they lack the required permits. This situation results in significant losses of potential revenue and resources, as illegal operations do not permit transactions with the BSP. "We are only able to capture about one percent of our resources," Perez stated, highlighting the scale of lost opportunities.
The upcoming inter-agency meeting aims to address these issues, with potential policy recommendations and legislative changes to be proposed to Congress. This may include revisions to the People’s Small Scale Mining Act (Republic Act 7076), which mandates that all gold produced by small-scale miners must be sold to the BSP at competitive world market prices.
The BSP's role includes setting up buying stations in gold-rush areas to support small-scale miners, ensuring they can sell their products at fair prices and within legal boundaries. Perez expressed optimism that simplifying the permit application process would encourage more miners to register and operate legally. This change is anticipated to benefit both the miners, who would earn more from their produce, and the government, which would collect appropriate taxes and fees.