The majority of about 300,000 small-scale miners who operate outside the Minahan Bayan in their locality may be declared illegal under the revised implementing rules and regulations of the Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said miners should first seek approval from the local mining regulatory board before they operate outside the Minahan Bayan. The regulatory board at the local level has been given the authority that governors and city mayors previously exercised.