INDUSTRY and political problems facing the mining industry put the Philippines last among 13 Asian countries in BMI Research’s Asia Mining Risk/Reward Index for the second quarter of 2018.

In a report late last week, the Fitch Group unit said the Philippines—which only got a score of 42.8 in the index—and Myanmar, which placed 12th, would “continue to underperform” in a region where the sector continued to flourish on the back of positive business environments, rich mineral deposits, supportive infrastructure, and political stability.