The Philippine Nickel Association (PNIA), the country’s largest group of nickel mining companies, has appealed to the Marcos administration to reconsider its plan on imposing a ban on ore exports as part of mining reforms.
Association officials stressed that the government must first create a competitive environment to attract investments in value-added processing before implementing restrictive policies.
“We support the government’s aspirations for a more developed nickel industry, however, it is our position that an export ban is not a timely policy at the moment,” said Dante Bravo, president of PNIA, who also urged that the focus should be on creating the right environment to attract the right investments.
“A proposal like the ore export ban is appealing; however, if implemented at this time, it overlooks the regulatory and business challenges that make value-added processing in the Philippines difficult to implement.
“Without holistic government support, addressing inconsistent policies, and regulatory burdens, forcing value-added processing will lead to mine closures and job losses. The government needs to create a more conducive business environment before pushing for policies that might disrupt the industry’s progress,” Bravo concluded.
The Philippines is the second largest nickel ore exporter to China, next to Indonesia.
Source: PNIA