Opponents of open-pit mining hailed South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. for shooting down an amendment to the province’s 2010 Environmental Code that lifted the ban on the ming prac tice.

To suffer a fatal low fromTamayo’s veto of the amendment approved by the Provincial Board early last month, is the $5.8-B Tampakan Gold/Copper Project inTampakan municipality of the multinational Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI).

Tamayo said allowing open-pit mining is ‘prejudicial to the public welfare and inimical to the overall interest of all South Cotabateños,”in a letter to the Provincial Board explaining his veto.