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Friday, December 16, 2005
Town considers taking over retrieval operations
The Municipal Government of Dalaguete, Cebu is seriously considering taking over the operations to retrieve the six miners who remain trapped six days after an explosion in a tunnel in Sitio Maantod, Canlawilao Barangay Dumalan last Saturday night.
What reinforced Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante’s plan is the fact that even Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia flared up after representatives of the Department of Energy (DOE) briefed her yesterday morning about the situation in the coal mines of the Ibalong Resources and Development Corp.
Cesante said their final decision will be known today whether they will disregard the DOE, which suspended the recovery operations since last Tuesday for lack of proper equipment and unstable level of methane gas in the tunnel.
Argao Mayor Wilfredo Caminero, who is also a miner and who has been with Cesante since the accident last Saturday night, said they are “ready to get inside.”
Had the energy department not stopped them, Caminero is certain that they would have already retrieved the bodies last Tuesday yet.
Last Sunday, the bodies of the two miners that were near the tunnel’s entrance were pulled out.
Governor Garcia visited the site yesterday morning, only to be angered by the DOE engineer who could not give her immediate and direct answers to her questions.
“It was only a briefing but it took so long. Magsige ug ininglis bisan pwede ra magbinisaya, maglisud pa ug hubad,” said an angry Garcia, who, with one hand on her hip and the other pointing her finger, had raised her voice at the DOE official.
Cesante also earlier said he is disgusted with the DOE. He thought of taking over the operation from the agency since last Wednesday.
Officials from the DOE said they are merely making sure that standards are being followed to avoid more injuries or deaths.
DOE Regional Director Antonio Labios earlier said they don’t want to compromise the safety of the rescuers, who volunteered their services. They are also waiting for more equipment to arrive to help blow out the methane gas in the tunnel.
It has yet to be ascertained what caused the methane gas explosion in the tunnel at 7:10 p.m. last Saturday, but the Taiwanese-owned Ibalong Resources’ operations have been suspended pending investigation.
Rescue teams, both from Ibalong Resources and the reinforcement from the Philippine National Oil Corp., remain idle until the DOE tells them to resume the operation.
The energy department said there is still a dangerous level of methane gas inside the tunnel, so they ordered the operations stopped until their equipment units arrive.
But local miners believe that the level of the gas is no longer as explosive or dangerous as the DOE says it is. In fact, they had stressed, they were making progress in taking away some of the tons of coal blocking the tunnel even before the DOE arrived.
The governor, for her part, said that this is a rescue operation and there is always an element of risk that has to be taken.
Caminero also said that it is important to continue with the operation because the families have been consistently asking the local officials about its slow pace.
Each family of the eight miners yesterday received P5,000 financial assistance from the governor. They appealed to the governor to help expedite the operation to retrieve their loved ones from inside the tunnel.
The families of the victims are staying in makeshift houses near the mine site. (JPM)
(December 16, 2005 issue)
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