Sun.star Essay: To raise hope

IF THE problem of over 30 trapped miners during a cave-in in a mine shaft in northern Chile were in the Philippines, what would our government have done?

We can’t help but show concern over an incident that hasn’t happened here or anywhere else—at least, not up to the number of miners trapped, 33 in all, and not in the number of months they will have to stay down there.

Updates on President Benigno Aquino III's presidency

An officemate, who hails from Toledo City where the Philippines’ largest copper mine is, mentioned a story that probably she grew up with like a fairy tale, of how a miner after a “mud rush” (landslide) caused by the usual mine explosion couldn’t be found by the rescuers. After nearly a month of pounding rocks in search of him, the men were about to give up, except that the wife insisted on one more try---pounding on the rocks for his signal and the rescue. Then they did hear a pounding, it was him, all right!

After the rescue, the miner later talked about trying to survive being trapped underground for almost a month by getting oxygen from a trickle of water that ran down a crag into a puddle. The wife knew he’d survive underground, as in past experiences of being trapped for hours, or a day. This time, he also tried eating his shirt, for food.

The Chilean miners of the San Jose gold and silver mine on Aug. 5 were working as deep as 2,300 feet below the ground when the rock above them collapsed. It was only after 17 days of drilling when the rescuers got a note from the miners through a narrow hole drilled into the emergency shelter where the men found themselves together—“All 33 of us are fine in the shelter.”

Then they got connected through a camera.

But it would take four months to open up a way for all to escape the trap, one by one to be pulled up the hole. And this is just the beginning. By this time, the authorities would have the huge machine sent from central Chile that would drill and carve a tunnel through solid rock. But even just to set it up took a few more days.

The right size of tunnel would have to be carved through a half-kilometer of solid rock.

The first thing the trapped miners themselves did, as they would later explain through the newly-installed communication system, was to dig for water on the mine floor using a backhoe, even as they divided the food they already got for everybody in the shaft, food that would last for 48 hours. .

As of now, I can picture that through a hole (“15-cm bore hole”), glucose and rehydration tablets were sent to the miners to make them stand the hot and stuffy condition of the air where all of them are packed, like in a pad at least big enough for all. Besides medicines, the rescuers also sent two little spoonfuls of tuna, a sip of milk and a biscuit for each miner every 48 hours.

At moment of writing, the news is about the actual food that will be sent down after some days when the men’s stomachs have adjusted to the situation. To sustain the amount of air in the atmosphere, they’re also given oxygen. The miners are sending up notes to their families, there are even small microphones sent down for them to speak to their families during the long wait.

In the surface just outside the first bore hole, the rescue leader has also organized the families into small groups.

The world is watching with sympathy, yes, it’s time to be one.

Even NASA has two physicians, a psychologist and an engineer to look into the nutritional and psychological aspects of the miners while the drilling goes on.

But it’s not just this huge machine called Strata 950 as the only way of rescue, there are about 10 backup options.

In fact, there’s a Strata 950 backup machine, if the first Strata doesn’t work. Then there’s a T-130 drill that can widen the existing hole. The point is to build hope.

(ecuizon@gmail.com)