Semirara resumption irks governor

ILOILO CITY—Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao has criticized the order of the Department of Energy (DOE) lifting its suspension order against the operations of Semirara Mining Power Corp. (SMPC), the country’s biggest supplier of locally produced coal, barely two months after a mining accident left nine workers dead on Semirara Island in Antique.

“The DOE did not even give us the courtesy of updating us with the progress of the investigation. We only know now that the suspension order has already been lifted,” Cadiao told the INQUIRER.

She said the provincial government wanted a transparent account of the results of the investigation and the measures undertaken by the company to address the safety concerns.

In a letter to SMPC dated Sept. 17, the DOE lifted the order after it confirmed that the company complied with the agency’s recommendations in ensuring the safety of workers, according to a statement posted on the department’s website.

The recommendations include the hiring of a safety consultant, construction of a standard buffer zone and implementing a safety program on Hazard Identification Risk Assessment and Control, and upgrading the company’s alert/evacuation procedures.

The order paves way for the resumption of extraction operations at the Panian mining pit. SMPC supplies six coal-fired power plants in the Visayas and Luzon.

Earlier, the municipal council of Caluya, which has jurisdiction over the 5,500-hectare Semirara Island, passed a resolution calling for the lifting of the suspension order, citing its effects on the livelihood of residents and employees.

But Governor Cadiao has maintained her call for the closure of the Panian pit. “Two accidents in 29 months is more than enough proof that the pit should be closed for the safety of workers,” she said.

On July 17, the mining operations were suspended after a portion of the northern Panian open pit collapsed, burying the workers and heavy equipment.

The accident was the second in 29 months following the collapse of the western wall of the same pit on Feb. 13, 2013. Five workers died and five others remain missing and presumed dead.

The DOE ordered the suspension of operations of SMPC.

Company officials had said that the soil could have loosened due to continuous rains days before the accident.