Thursday, October 12, 2006 Mine owner admits to ‘possible negligence’
WHILE admitting possible negligence on the part of their mining safety engineer resulting to the fatal accident in Barangay Balaas, Argao, Cebu, the owner of Adlaon Energy Development Corp. is also appealing to the Department of Energy (DOE) not to close the mining firm.
Adlaon president Paterna Go said they also have mining operations in Barangay Adlaon, Cebu City and Barangay Santikon in Badian town that were included in the suspension order issued by DOE.
DOE Visayas Director Antonio Labios said the suspension of operations is a precautionary measure while their team gathers evidence to determine possible violations of the Coal Mining Development Act.
Labios said that if the violation is serious, the mining firm will be administratively fined or permanently closed, at the discretion of Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla.
One miner died and three others suffered severe burns during an explosion that the DOE said may have been caused by methane gas and a spark from a live wire.
In an interview with radio dyLA, Go said they understand that it is DOE’s standard operating procedure to suspend mining operations while an investigation is still ongoing.
She said this is the first tragedy that happened in their more than 20 years of coal mining operation. Their first mine was in Barangay Adlaon, hence the name of the company.
Go, in the same radio interview, said their Argao operation has a daily coal production of 45,000 tons. The firm buys coal from the miners at P1,000 per ton and supplies this to the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) at P2,000 per ton.
Adlaon Energy Development Corp. will continue giving financial assistance to the families of the three miners who were injured in the explosion last Monday.
Go said that her firm shouldered the hospital expenses of the three and the funeral and burial expenses for the miner who died.
The miners, she said, are not directly employed with them because a group that has a contract with PNOC is the one handling them.
Go said that the disaster is considered accidental because the methane gas level was regularly monitored. (EOB)
