Duterte wants to ‘close all mining’ after Philippines landslides

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday repeated his desire to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides. Some government officials and large miners say the landslides have been exacerbated by illegal small-scale mining. “If I were to try to do my thing I will close all mining in the Philippines,” Duterte said, presiding over a meeting of the government’s disaster response team two days after a powerful typhoon struck, Reuters reported. Earlier on Monday, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered all small-scale mining to stop in the Cordillera region, where landslides killed 24 people.