Signal Marcos signs Executive Order 122 establishing a unified critical minerals policy framework

Summary

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 122 on August 21, 2026, creating a unified policy framework for the critical minerals industry. The Mining Industry Coordinating Council was reorganized with the secretaries of Environment and Natural Resources and of Finance as co-chairs. DENR-MGB Director Larry Heradez stated that the Philippines has identified at least nine million hectares of highly prospective areas. The order targets nickel and copper for renewable energy infrastructure, electric vehicle batteries and defense applications, with the Department of Trade and Industry providing incentives for downstream refining and battery production. A use-it-or-lose-it policy will cancel underutilized mining tenements and reallocate them as declared reservations. Permit processing is to be completed within six months and a digital one-stop platform built within one year.