ASM, mining operation, Davao De Oro, peace and order 

This study was carried out to operating context of Davao de Oro’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), illustrate the realities, challenges, issues, and concerns of ASM governance, and describe the public safety conditions on the ASM areas. The researchers utilized qualitative case study design to examine a phenomenon within a given environment using a variety of data sources. Results of the study revealed themes showing that: (1) The miners’ labor condition is unsafe with an inconstant income who is struggling to cope and survive; (2) Tedious, expensive and long processing period of securing a Mining Contract; (3) Issues on the delineation of roles and responsibilities between MGB 9Mines and Geoscience Bureau), PMRB (Provincial Mining Regulatory Board) and LGUs (Local Government Units); (4) Hardship and difficulties supervision and control of the oversight agency due to inaccessibly of the area, lack of service vehicle and issues of personnel’s safety and security, therefor no proper accounting and recording of SSM; (5) the repeated use of explosive in small-scale mining secured from government forces; (6) The mining area is more peaceful nowadays due to the willful implementation of strategic security measures of the government; (7) the AFP/PNP enforcers encounters difficulty in law enforcement as mandated by its organization due to very risky and remote locations as well as the presence of “Padrino System”; (8) The barangay officials expressed the environmental degradation due to irresponsible mining and find it hard to implement the laws due to death threats. Furthermore, the creation of EO 70 and the implementation of the strategic security plan helped greatly in the promotion of peace and order in the mining community. Among the eight (8) elements of good governance where the study is anchored, only Participation and Consensus oriented surfaced to be visible as far as SSM (Small-Scale Mining) activities are concerned.