Closure of mining ops in Barangay Masara eyed
Civil defense official pushes to give more teeth to regulations of Mines and Geosciences Bureau
FOLLOWING the Feb. 6 landslide in Barangay Masara in Maco, Davao de Oro that killed at least 98 people, a regional development council official confirmed Friday that the council will conduct a comprehensive meeting to discuss the closure of mining operations in the affected area.
The Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao de Oro has already agreed that the danger zone, as identified by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), should be free from any residential buildings and infrastructure.
“Wala pa (Nothing yet), but I have heard already coming from Governor [Dorothy] Gonzaga (of Davao de Oro) that they have identified the no-build-zone na strictly enforced na gyud ang nobuild zone which cost the lives of many. But as to whether to stop mining, wala pay balita ang (no news yet from) RDC, but we will be meeting by March,” said Arturo Milan, vice chairman of the Davao Regional Development Council.
Milan made the remarks during the 14th Anniversary of Mindanao Development Authority and the 30th Founding Anniversary of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area press conference last Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
To recall, MGB-Davao revealed that Masara had been identified as a “No Build Zone” since 2008 and had been listed as a critical area due to its geographical location and the presence of volcaniclastics – a type of soil that is made up of fragments of volcanic origin, such as agglomerate, tuff and certain other rocks. However, despite its recommendation, several people still reside in the area.
Based on the initial tally provided by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office of Maco, 98 bodies have been recovered by emergency rescuers while nine individuals have been reported to the Management of the Dead and Missing Persons as missing.
Outside mining site
In a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange last Feb. 12, Apex said the landslide occurred outside its mining site.
“However, the said area is where the buses that ferry the employees of the mining company wait for its passengers,” said Apex Mining, which specified that the slide occurred about 500 meters from the company gate following two weeks of heavy rain in Davao de Oro.
“Three buses and one jeepney rented to ferry the employees and service providers from the outgoing 7 p.m. shift were buried during the landslide,” Apex said, as it confirmed that nine employees of the company had been recovered dead from the landslide site.
The mining firm controlled by billionaire Enrique Razon Jr. is engaged in gold and silver production.
Teeth for MGB
On Monday, an official from the Office of Civil Defense-Davao Region (OCD-Davao) said there should be a law on the regulations set by the MGB.
OCD-Davao Director Ednar Dayanghirang said if it’s only an ordinance, the MGB recommendations will be effective only in the locality, unlike when there is a law where it becomes a national issue.
“If I am to recommend, there should be a law, a law that should put teeth, ngipon kining mga MGB regulations because these entail lives of people,” he said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Feb. 19 at SM Ecoland.
Dayanghirang said that in March, there will be a meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and 44 agencies and 55 local government units will participate. He said they would discuss the facts provided to them by the MGB-Davao.
Dayanghirang said other areas in the Philippines have suffered from landslides such as Naga, Southern Leyte and the Mountain Province.
He said once MGB regulations become law, anyone can file a case using it and then the court can penalize the violators, thus preventing people from staying in areas recommended by the MGB as nobuild zones.