Surigao mining firms eye wider use of GMAP technology to restore mined lands

Mining firms and other partners discuss the integration and wider adoption of GMAP’s microbial technology in mine rehabilitation in CARAGA. Stakeholders shared insights and recommendations on applying the technology in rehabilitation programs during the forum and panel discussion at Taganito Mining Corporation in Surigao del Norte on August 12, 2026.

Mining companies in Surigao del Norte are looking to expand the utilization of a science-based bioremediation technology to help restore mine-disturbed areas, following the results and assessed impacts of the Greening Mined Areas in the Philippines (GMAP) project.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), meanwhile, is considering further consultations with the GMAP team on the possible integration of the bioremediation protocol into its existing guidelines for progressive mine rehabilitation.

The discussion on proposed adoption of the technology followed the presentation of the completed GMAP Phase 2 project during a stakeholder forum held at the Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC) in Claver, Surigao del Norte, on August 12, 2026.

Representatives from mining companies, government agencies, local government units, academic institutions, and farmer groups participated in the discussion on how the technology can be applied beyond its pilot sites in Placer and Claver.

The project, implemented by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in partnership with TMC and Manila Mining Corporation (MMC) beginning in 2020, tested the use of the GMAP bioremediation protocol in restoring mine-disturbed areas. Impact of GMAP Phase 2 was then assessed through the project.

The results prompted mining companies to look at how the technology could complement existing rehabilitation practices.

TMC currently carries out progressive rehabilitation and revegetation of mined-out areas through its mining forest and National Greening Program activities, nursery operations, reforestation and enrichment planting, and slope stabilization measures.

In Placer, MMC rehabilitates waste dumps and other mine-disturbed areas through vegetative and engineering measures. It also restores disturbed exploration sites, manages acid mine drainage, and maintains its Adopt a Mining Forest and National Greening Program activities. Both companies expressed interest in continuing the use of the GMAP bioremediation protocol alongside these rehabilitation measures.

MMC OIC Resident Manager George P. Moreno said practical and science-based interventions are needed to enhance interventions in addressing lands disturbed by mining.

“I have seen firsthand the effects of mining on the environment… I see GMAP as a scientific input that can strengthen the rehabilitation efforts of mining companies,” Moreno said.

He also called for government agencies and local governments to be informed about science-based rehabilitation technologies and suggested joint efforts to identify mined-out areas that still require rehabilitation, including sites where mining operations have already ceased.

“Collaboration among government agencies, mining companies, LGUs, communities, and research institutions will be necessary to sustain rehabilitation efforts,” he said.

The MGB, meanwhile, noted that the GMAP protocol could be examined for possible integration into Memorandum Order No. 2025-001, or the “Guidelines for the Integration of Natural Succession Strategies in the Progressive Mine Rehabilitation of Mined-Out Areas and Other Disturbed Areas,” issued in May 2025.

MGB representative Julius Caesar T. Lacanaria said further consultations between the bureau and the GMAP team would be needed to determine how the bioremediation technology may fit within the existing guidelines.

Forester Amelita C. Luna, GMAP project staff, said the technology is aligned with the objectives of MGB Memorandum Order No. 2025-001.

Luna expressed hope that the Bureau and the GMAP team could collaborate to examine possible ways of integrating the technology into the existing guidelines, including amendments where appropriate.

The interest also extends beyond the two mining companies that served as project implementers. Seven other mining firms participating in the forum expressed interest in working with UPLB and NRCP through GMAP to identify ways to adopt the technology and integrate the bioremediation protocol in their rehabilitation programs.

Wider adoption could allow the technology to contribute to the restoration of more mine-disturbed areas while giving mining companies and government regulators a science-based option for rehabilitation. (Rose Dagupen// S&T Media Services)

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