THE country's abundant mineral resources could fuel green technologies and create a wave of high-quality job opportunities for Filipinos once their full potential is realized, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). 

In a recent forum on revitalizing the Philippine mining industry NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan highlighted the underutilized but immense potential of the mining sector. Despite the sector's modest contribution to the country's gross domestic product (GDP), which stood at 0.5 percent by the end of 2023, he believes there is room for significant growth.  

Balisacan pointed out that only 0.17 percent of the country’s known mineral deposits have been developed for production. Consequently, employment in mining and quarrying remains low, constituting only 0.45 percent of total employment. Presently, the majority of the country's mineral exports are raw or unprocessed. This leads to foregone opportunities to leverage our natural resources to produce the tools and technologies that sustainable and resilient economies demand.  

“With abundant reserves of minerals vital for producing green technologies such as solar PVs (photovoltaic cells), wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries, the Philippines is strategically positioned to tap into global markets for these technologies and maximize the value derived from its mineral products,” Balisacan added. 

He suggested that this can be achieved by further developing downstream metallic and non-metallic mineral processing to bolster the expansion of domestic manufacturing industries focused on green technologies.