Kin of missing miners in Tarragona surface

THE local government, police and military said no one died in the August 30 landslide in Tarragona, Davao Oriental, but several relatives of small-scale miners have surfaced to look for their missing relatives.

Jenny Maynupas of Manay, Davao Oriental, went to the Mati Police station on September 5 to inform authorities that her uncle, 36-year-old Edgar Mantog, is missing.

She said Mantog was in the gold rush area of sitio Bangol, Barangay Tubaon when the landslide occurred.

She added that her uncle was working at a tunnel owned by a certain Mancao for almost two months before he had gone missing.

In a telephone interview on Saturday, Maynupas said it was August 24 when her uncle last called them.

"Ingon nya sa amo-a na okay lang daw sya sa Bangol ug dili daw mi mag-worry sa iyaha. Giingnan pud ko nya na magpadala sya ug one thousand para sa akoa. Mao to ang last namo na storyahanay (He told us not to worry because he was okay in Bangol. He added that he will send me P1,000. That was the last time we talked)," Maynupas said.

She said her uncle usually calls them twice a week, but after their last conversation, Mantog never called again.

When they learned that a landslide happened in sitio Bangol, Maynupas said they immediately called her uncle’s number at 09108127353, but the phone just kept on ringing.

She added that on September 4, they called again and a woman who introduced herself as wife of Mancao answered the phone.

Until now, Maynupas said they kept on calling the number and it would ring for awhile, then it would suddenly be out of reach.

She said Mantog and his brother-in-law work in the same tunnel. When the landslide happened, the brother-in-law went home to his wife in Tagum City, leaving Mantog and other miners in the tunnel.

The miner's niece said her mother, Imelda, sister of Mantog, went to the Mati Police Station to report their missing relative. Then on the following day, they went to Tarragona police for the same purpose.

"Didto sa Tarragona namo nahibaw-an na daghan na diay mga paryente sa mga minero ang nagpa-blotter kay na-missing pud. Ingon sa akong mama mga sobra napulo daw ka minero ang napablotter didto na missing sa mga paryente (We found out that more people are looking for their missing relatives who were also miners)," she said.

Maynupas appealed to the government to help determine the fate of their missing relative.

Nathaniel Quiñones, a local broadcaster in Mati City, posted on his Facebook account on Saturday that an anonymous source texted him the names of the missing miners in sitio Bangol.

The names were Perto Manugalig, Edgar Buyuan, Leonardo Quinto, Lorenzo Langaw, Bistring Layaw, Benebisto Kugto and Edgar Mantog.

Sun.Star Davao could not confirm as to the veracity of the names of the missing miners. (BOT)