Manila: The Philippines' environment minister vowed not to buckle to mounting pressure yesterday from a mining sector reeling from her shutting more than half of the country's mines on environmental protection grounds.
"I am not going to buckle," she said after a closed-door meeting of an inter-agency mining council.
She co-chairs the council with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.
The panel sought a review of her decision to close the mines to ensure due process was followed and look into the impact on jobs and taxes.
"The (council) is recommendatory to me. They're not my boss. Nobody can tell me what to do except the president."
Damage to watersheds and siltation of coastal waters where the mines are located were the major reasons cited that led to Lopez's decision to shut the mines.
"It's totally in my right to close down the mines," she added.
