ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza is confident that the Investment Defense Force (IDF) that Malacañang has activated will address security concerns being raised by both local and foreign mining investors following recent attacks in some of the mining projects in the Philippines.

Atienza said the government is seriously addressing the security challenges being faced by some mining projects, even as he stressed that these are only isolated cases.

“There are some isolated cases of negative reactions to mining projects but we are addressing these in a very committed way. The President no less created an Investment Defense Force, which is a specialized group to deal very effectively on this matter,” he said.

Atienza also cited the existence of a very active Mineral Development Council (MDC) as a testimony of the commitment of the Arroyo administration to address the concerns and issues being faced by mining investors and the industry in general.

He said the MDC, a Cabinet-level body which he also heads, took it with urgency to address the recent attacks made by the New People’s Army (NPA) on certain mining assets, where it also engaged the assistance of local governments.

“We are working with the companies and getting our people on the ground move alongside the investors, and we’re getting local governments that also do their share,” Atienza said.

The mining industry has earlier raised concern on the security of mining projects in the country following a series of NPA-claimed attacks on the Tampakan Copper Project in South Cotabato, Apex Masara Project in Compostela Valley and El Dore in Camarines Norte.

The MDC has immediately condemned these attacks, saying these are acts to derail the government’s Revitalization Program for the Philippine Minerals Industry.

In February President Arroyo ordered the Armed Forces to create an IDF to give a protective shield to power assets, other infrastructure and minerals-development projects.

Atienza is currently in Singapore for the Asia Mining Congress 2008, where he is also set to deliver a keynote speech and talk on key developments in the industry, including the recent policy reforms and the headways made by the government since launching its revitalization program for mining.

Owing to the vast mineral resources of the country, the government has been encouraging mining investments to boost the economy and help alleviate poverty, particularly in the countryside. It is looking at generating $10 billion (worth of) investments from the sector by 2010.

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ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza is confident that the Investment Defense Force (IDF) that Malacañang has activated will address security concerns being raised by both local and foreign mining investors following recent attacks in some of the mining projects in the Philippines.

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