Firm did not rehabilitate mined area in Itogon —mayor

The mining company that owned the mining area where 40 to 50 people were trapped during a landslide did not rehabilitate the site after it was abandoned, Itogon, Benguet Mayor Victorio Palangdan alleged on Monday.

Palangdan said in an interview on Super Radyo DZBB that Benguet Corporation supposedly failed to rehabilitate the area even after a sinkhole appeared in the area in 2015.

“Pagkatapos po ng operation nila, dapat i-restore nila ‘yung kanilang minina to its (original state),” Palangdan said. “Pero hindi nila ginawa ‘yun.”

Republic Act 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 states that “contractors and permittees shall technically and biologically rehabilitate the excavated, mined-out tailings covered, and disturbed areas to the condition of environmental safety.”

Benguet Corporation’s mining operations was stopped by a moratorium prohibiting big and small-scale mining in the area issued by then-Environment Secretary Lito Atienza in 2009.

The company still manages the area, and it supposedly allowed small-scale miners to come in and do the mining.

“Bakit pinayagan ng Benguet Corporation na pumasok ang small-scale miners dun?” Palangdan said. “Dapat pinatigil nila.”

The mining area was declared dangerous and landslide-prone by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau in 2017.

Refused to evacuate

Palangdan noted that the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office (PDRRMO) encountered difficulties in asking residents to evacuate the area before Typhoon Ompong hit land on Saturday, September 15.

“Pero ginawa ng tao, ‘yung kakulitan natin, na hindi daw delikado ang kanilang area at tsaka naka-imbak na daw sila ng mga pagkain doon, kaya walang nagawa po ang aming kapulisan,” Palangdan said.

“‘Pag pinilit po—magfoforce evacuation po kami—lumalaban po sila, ayaw talaga nila,” he said.

Due to multiple landslides that happened in the region, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered for a cease and desist order on all small-scale mining operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

DENR Sec. Roy Cimatu orders cease and desist order to illegal small mining in CAR @gmanews

— Joseph Morong (@Joseph_Morong) September 17, 2018

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday that 147,540 families or 591,762 individuals were affected by Typhoon Ompong across the country.

La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda said during a press conference by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that they suffered P32 million in agricultural damages and P9 million in damages to infrastructure.

Roque cited the NDRRMC’s report and said there were 54 casualties and 49 persons missing in CAR alone. —Rie Takumi/VDS, GMA News