Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a halt to all mining activities on an island in the southern province, which is home to some of the country's nickel projects, cabinet officials said on Tuesday.
Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nogeras said at a press conference that Duterte was "very concerned" about reports that mining operations had "completely destroyed" Tubagan Island in Langeyan, Tawee-Tawe province.
"The island is now mined," he said.
While recovery efforts are under way, the president is issuing a directive to halt any and all mining activities."
Duterte also directed authorities to speed up the island's revitalization by planting more trees, Nogeras said.
The Philippine Bureau of Mines and Earth Sciences does not closely monitor mining operations in Tawei-Tawei because the province is within the autonomous region.
Mr Duterte's order does not cover the country's nickel mining centre in the Caraga region.
SR Languyan Mining Corp, one of the miners operating in Tawe-Taweh, said in 2019 that the island's deposits were considered to be of high-grade material and were almost exhausted after years of continuous ore Mining.
The Philippines has become the biggest supplier of nickel ore to China, the largest metals consumer, since Indonesia banned exports of unprocessed minerals in January last year.
Low-grade materials from Southeast Asian countries are used to produce nickel pig iron, the main ingredient in stainless steel.
Since he took power in 2016, Duterte has repeatedly threatened to shut down the country's mining industry, lambasting miners for damaging the environment.
