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John Unson - Philstar.com
June 5, 2026 | 6:32pm
The Sagittarius Mines Inc. and ethnic Blaan and T'boli communities have extensive tree planting activities in different towns in South Cotabato.
Philstar.com / John Unson
COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Sectors in Central Mindanao welcomed the renewed certification of a local firm's compliance with global environmental standards for its planned copper and gold mining project in South Cotabato.
Radio reports on Thursday, June 4, stated that the TUV NORD in Germany, a global certification body for compliance with international environmental-protection laws, had recertified Sagittarius Mines Inc., or SMI, in South Cotabato as ISO 14001 compliant, for local executives, a proof that multi-sector efforts of ensuring a safe mining operation in the province, possibly starting in 2028, are gaining headway.
The national government had contracted the SMI to operate the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project in Blaan tribal domains in Tampakan town in South Cotabato in Region 12 that reportedly has no less than US$ 200 billion worth of gold and copper deposits awaiting extraction, based on studies by experts in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and geologists from Europe and Australia.
Blaan tribal leaders in Tampakan, officials of South Cotabato’s provincial government and ranking personnel of the DENR and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Region 12 had told reporters that the SMI was first certified by the TUV NORD as ISO 14001 compliant on May 6, 2017.
South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said he and his constituent-mayors shall continue monitoring the SMI’s compliance with national and international environmental-protection regulations while preparing for the commencement of its operation in Tampakan and during its actual implementation of the state-permitted Tampakan Copper-Gold Project in the municipality.
The entrepreneur-lawyer Ronald Hallid Torres, chairperson of the Bangsamoro Business Council in BARMM, said they were elated with the SMI’s having been recertified by the TUV NORD in Germany as ISO 14001 compliant.
“We are excitedly monitoring all developments related to the upcoming Tampakan Copper-Gold Project because that will have a big positive impact too on commerce and trade in two Bangsamoro provinces, Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte, that are near South Cotabato province in Region 12,” Torres said.
