Senate urged to probe financiers of Compostela Valley mines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines  – The Senate has been urged to conduct an investigation on the financiers of small-scale mining operations following the deadly landslide in Pantukan, Compostela Valley.

Compostela Valley Gov. Arthur Uy also ordered the creation of a fact-finding team that would look into the involvement of local officials in the mining activities in Pantukan.

“There were reports that reached my office regarding local officials in Pantukan who themselves own tunnels in the mining site,Uy said.

Uy said the fact-finding team would identify the financiers of the small-scale mining activities in Pantukan.

He said the local government in Pantukan failed to implement a “no-habitation” policy that should have been implemented months before the Jan. 5 landslide occurred.

Sen. Loren Legarda took note of the claims by Uy, who said there is a local ordinance prohibiting dwelling in Barangay Napnapan, particularly in the area where a landslide happened in April 2011.

Uy stressed the local ordinance was already issued before the Jan. 5 landslide even as the Department of the Interior and Local Government ordered a “no-habitation” policy in areas in Pantukan identified as landslide-prone.

Legarda filed Senate Resolution No. 675, stressing specific areas in Pantukan, including Barangay Napnapan where the Jan. 5, 2012 and the April 2011 landslides occurred, have been identified as landslide-prone and the mountain region could collapse from high pressure or big movements, thereby not suitable for habitation and mining activities.

“A geo-hazard map of Pantukan revealed that its topography and geological features make it vulnerable to landslides, among other hazards. Heavier and more frequent rains, brought about by climate change, intensify the vulnerability of mining communities to hazards, she explained.

“Despite hazard warnings, small miners stay in the mining sites and place their lives at risk for a chance of finding gold instead of relocating to safer places where there is no alternative livelihood, Legarda said.

She noted the report made by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau that said those who were killed or injured in the landslide in Barangay Napnapan were small-scale gold miners who had no permits to mine in the area.

“The tragic incident claimed at least 32 lives,she pointed out.

Legarda said that illegal mining activities in Pantukan are reportedly financed by operators who provide the necessary equipment, such as mechanized pumps and sizable mills, which are too expensive for the small miners to afford.

She stressed that these small-scale mining operations are illegal and unregulated miners and communities are exposed to safety hazards and environmental disasters. – Marvin Sy