Not all mining companies harm the environment.

Rio Tuba Nickel in Palawan is one of 13 mining companies that passed the stringent audit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The company has been recognized by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR for its safety and health standards as well as its programs to protect the environment and assist the local community.

"Base po doon sa result ng technical inspection na ginawa noong last January 27, yung apat doon na parameters ng coal plant ng Coral Bay ay within the DENR standard pa rin siya," said forester Alexander Coden, provincial environment officer of EMB-Palawan.

(Based on the result of the technical inspection done last January 27, the four parameters of the coal plant of Coral Bay is within the DENR standards.)

The company boasts of a tree planting project as part of its rehabilitation program in the uplands.

Meanwhile, San Roque Metals Inc. (SRMI) in Agusan del Norte also passed the DENR audit and still has around 3 left years for its mining operations.

The company has so far planted over 250,000 trees, restoring the forest affected by its mining activities.

The company also has a good practice of ensuring that the water used in its mining operations does not flow to rivers and the sea.

Water from the mines is filtered before it flows to the rivers, which is why fish can live in it.

SRMI's mining wastes also do not also flow to the sea, unlike the contamination brought by some of the mines ordered closed by the DENR.

SRMI has received several presidential awards since 2014, and has been certified for following international standards.

“We make sure na iyung mga wastes namin, hindi tatapon sa dagat kahit mas malaki ang gastos namin,” said Jun Belen, tenement manager of SRMI.

(We make sure that the wastes do not end up in the sea even though this process costs us more.)

However, the local community in SRMI is divided over the cost and benefits of the mining operation.

The mayor of Tubay in Agusan del Norte is against the operation of SRMI. However, some of the nearby barangays support mining, calling the mayor's opposition to it political.

Likewise, in the case of Rio Tuba Nickel, some locals are opposed to its operations and complain of foul odor from the mining site.

The DENR has vowed to continue monitoring the mines even after the companies passed the audit. - report from Henry Omaga-Diaz, ABS-CBN News