Anytime a government regulates, it tends to produce unintended, if not the opposite effect. Who else is thinking that the current DENR crackdown will only empower the big firms? After all, they have the means to comply with whatever standard the government names in order to keep them in check. The small-scale miners, those who are barely scrapping by, together with the employees of the big firms about to be fired as a result of the smaller, more compliant operations, are the ones who will be sorely affected.
Tanggal ang mga mahinang kalaban. Buhay pa rin sina LC, PX, etc in the long-run. I'm betting the stock prices are at its cheapest due to the panic selloff, but demand for minerals will still stay.