MINING industry leaders warned that a joint administrative order of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Energy (DOE) could lead to regulatory uncertainty and investment risks.
"I don't think the JAO is fair. They're changing the established agreement with the mining companies and so forth," DMCI Mining Corp. Chairman Isidro Consunji told reporters on Tuesday.
"I don't think the JAO should supersede existing laws... It'll probably be challenged in court, I guess," he added.
Joint Administrative Order 2026-01 sets the framework for awarding service and operating contracts for natural resources, including minerals and coal.
Consunji noted an apparent contradiction between the JAO and existing laws should be resolved first before implementation.
He said some companies would most probably challenge the order in court and added that DMCI Mining was likely to do the same if it affected the firm adversely.
Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. President Dante Bravo also said the JAO seemed inconsistent with the mining law.
"It depends really on who are the companies directly affected, and we have to understand further the context," he said.
"Because as we see it, based on a literal reading of the DOE, it seems like it affects us; it covers us, so if it covers us, and we feel that it's somehow contrary or inconsistent to the mining law that's covering the mining industry, definitely we'll have to make our comments there and let the government know.
"We're always advocating for predictability, stability and if it's something that's inconsistent with our mining law, then we will oppose that."
Bravo stressed the need for stable and predictable policies to protect investments, saying that even well-intentioned government issuances could be misinterpreted and scare investors, if they do not feel safe and protected when investing in the country.
