Philippines' Philex gets govt clearance for $1.2 billion Silangan mine

MANILA (Reuters) - Philex Ming Corp, one of the Philippines' biggest miners by output, said on Tuesday the government had cleared it to proceed with its $1.2 billion Silangan copper-gold mine development. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, through the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, had approved the Declaration of Mining Project Feasibility in an order signed April 10, Philex said in a filing to the stock exchange. The Silangan mine in Surigao del Norte province in the southern Philippines represents Philex's biggest prospective revenue driver when its Padcal mine closes after a possibly extended mine life beyond 2020. (Reporting by Erik dela Cruz; Editing by Ed Davies)