These rules and regulations, consisting of 276 sections divided into thirty Chapters, are promulgated toward the attainment of the following objectives: a) promote the rational exploration, development, use and conservation of mineral resources; b) enhance the contribution of mineral resources to economic recovery and national development, with regard to the protection of the environment and the affected communities; c) encourage investments in exploration and commercial mining activities to assure a steady supply of minerals and metals for material needs to generate wealth, employment, foreign exchange earnings and regional development; d) promote equitable access to economically efficient development and fair sharing of benefits and costs derived from the exploration, development and utilization of mineral resources; and e) enable the Government and the investor to recover their share in the production, utilization and processing of minerals to attain sustainable development with due regard to the environment, social equity and fair return of investment.