ENVIRONMENT Secretary Roy Cimatu has resigned, citing unspecified health reasons, weeks after a game-changing decision by government to lift the ban on open-pit mining spurred optimism among mining stakeholders of growth in the sector.
Reacting to the news, the Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), which has been critical of the DENR’s policies on mining, said in a statement: “We are surprised by Sec. Roy Cimatu’s resignation as DENR Secretary. We are praying he recovers from his health situation.”
At the same time, ATM called on Undersecretary Jim Sampulna, who is temporarily taking over, “to listen to mining-affected communities and open the lines for discussion on resolving mining issues and concerns.”
The nongovernment alliance also aired hopes that the DENR would consider “re-imposing the ban on open-pit mining and the suspension of operations of mining sites that are detrimental to communities.”
Cimatu, a former Armed Forces chief of staff, was tapped by President Duterte to head the DENR in 2017.