Berong Nickel Corp. (BNC), a unit of DMCI Mining Corp., is nearing completion of the rehabilitation of the depleted Berong Mine in Palawan, with only 13 percent of the mined-out areas remaining idle.
‘We measure our success by the forests we rebuilt, lives we empowered, communities we left stronger, and the lesson we learned moving forward,’ DMCI Mining President and CEO Tulsi Das C. Reyes said.
Since mining activities at the Berong Mine in Quezon, Palawan concluded in 2021, BNC has shifted its focus from mineral production to implementing a six-year Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan. DMCI said this plan is the country’s first for a shuttered nickel mine and could become a benchmark on how to restore mined lands.
Berong Mine covers a 288-hectare Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) area. Of this, 130 hectares were previously utilized for mining operations, 7 hectares housed ancillary facilities, while the remaining 151 hectares were left undisturbed.
To date, 112 hectares have already been rehabilitated, with restoration work continuing across the remaining disturbed areas including 18 hectares of idle mined-out areas.
The mining firm has invested approximately P160 million in rehabilitation activities, planted nearly 352,000 seedlings, with a 97 percent survival rate, and produced more than 497,000 seedlings in its nurseries, exceeding its year four targets under the six-year rehabilitation program.
The program remains on track for completion in 2027, after which the rehabilitated area will be formally turned over to the government.
In addition, it remitted P161 million in royalties to indigenous peoples, supporting the development of their communities.
‘Today, Berong’s rehabilitation demonstrates that responsible mining extends beyond mineral production. Through environmental restoration, biodiversity conservation, and investments in education, healthcare, livelihoods and essential infrastructure, BNC
aims to leave behind safe, stable and productive lands that continue to benefit both people and the environment in Palawan,’ Reyes said.