DENR orders investigation into Paracale mine collapse

With the possibility that miners there may still be trapped underground, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje has ordered an investigation into the collapse of a mine in Paracale, Camarines Norte. It is the second such incident in Paracale this year. In January, two workers were killed when a mine collapsed, possibly due to continuous rain. According to Paje, the Bicol regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) is presently looking into the accident. “Our field personnel are already closely coordinating with the mining operator in the area, along with police and local government personnel, for an assessment of the situation,” he said. Initial reports from the MGB regional office indicate that the accident occurred on the night of November 20. According to the reports, a dynamite blast could have caused the collapse of a tunnel in Barangay Palanas. Since the tunnel was near the shoreline, the collapse could have sent water rushing into the mine, trapping the miners, the office added. MGB regional director Theodore Rommel Pestaño reported that the incident occurred within United Paragon Mining Corporation’s (UPMC) Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) area. Pestaño said his office will be meeting with UPMC’s security managers, as the collapsed area is within 200 meters from the shoreline and therefore a no-go zone for miners. MGB director Leo Jasareno earlier said that the bureau had issued a cease-and-desist order on small-scale mining operations in the town, but they seem to have gone on anyway and miners may have had the silent approval of local officials. — BM, GMA News