(MANILA, PHILIPPINES) – In response to President Duterte’s call for mining to adhere to strict international standards, particularly that of Australia and Canada, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) recently signed a mutual cooperation and licensing agreement with the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) to adopt the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Initiative, a mining sustainability standard developed by MAC. The agreement was signed by COMP Chairman Gerard Brimo (3rd from left) and MAC President and CEO Pierre Gratton (3rd from right), witnessed by Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines HE John Holmes (2nd from right) and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu (2nd from left). Also in photo are: COMP TSM Committee Chairman Eulalio Austin Jr. (leftmost); MAC VP Ben Chalmers (rightmost); (standing, L-R) COMP Trustee Isidro Consunji; COMP Communications Chairman Atty. Michael Toledo; COMP Trustees Jose Leviste Jr., Isidro Alcantara Jr., Joaquin Lagonera, Martin Zamora, and Higo Toru. The COMP had said that adherence to TSM will be mandatory for all member companies. 30