DOE investigating mining explosion

The Department of Energy will send a composite team to Ibalong Resources Development Corporation in Dalaguete town next week to investigate last month's mining explosion that took eight lives.

DOE regional director Antonio Labios said they had already sent investigators to the town last week but much has still to be done to determine the cause of the accident. He refused to give the initial result of the investigation.

"The team I sent there last week has already conducted its investigation but many are still lacking. There is still need for additional interviews and details," he added.

Labios said that next week, a team composed of investigators from Manila and Cebu would return to the mining site for another investigation.

"This would take time because we need sufficient data and interviews from the company officials, miners and the people in the area to determine if there are lapses," Labios said.

Earlier, the Ombudsman also expressed willingness to conduct its own probe into the alleged bribery of DOE officials and other irregularities that led to the accident in December.

But Labios said that he did not send rescuers right away because of the presence of methane gas in the tunnel that could be fatal for the rescuers.

Reports said that the accident was the second to happen last year. Raydal Cisneros, administrative assistant to Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Cesante, alleged that the first explosion at the mining site occurred in July.

The incident prompted the local government unit to suspend IRDC's business permit, a move that was affirmed by the DOE. But few months later, the DOE permitted IRDC to operate again.

At around 7 p.m. last December 10, a tunnel of the IRDC, formerly the Manguerra Mining Corporation, exploded and left eight miners trapped in the rubble. It took rescuers quite a long time to recover the bodies of the victims.

Labios said the mining site was last inspected in September when DOE inspectors noticed no lapses or violation on the part of the company.

By the time the latest accident occurred, Labios added that inspectors from Manila were on their way to IRDC to conduct the last inspection for 2005. DOE inspects the site every quarter to make sure it complied with safety standards. - Wenna A. Berondo