Lopez: Closing erring mines protects Filipinos

Despite admitting that she lacks the technical knowledge of the mining industry, Environment Secretary Regina Paz Lopez on Tuesday defended her controversial decision to close 23 mining operations and suspend five others, saying she did it “to protect the present and future generations.”

In an interview on ANC’s Headstart, Lopez stressed that she did not know the technicalities of mining and had to rely on “someone who has the common good in his heart,” which happened to be former Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Leo Jasareno.