Saturday, May 05, 2007 DENR taps Capitol, police v. ‘illegal’ mining in Catmon
FOLLOWING a freak accident that killed a 17-year-old boy in an illegal mining site in Barangay Binongkalan, Catmon town, Cebu last Tuesday the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB) 7 wants the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board (PMRB) to take action against unauthorized excavation in the place.
The bureau is also asking the northern town police to verify reports that certain individuals in the barangay are keeping blasting caps and other explosive materials for mining without a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Jaymar Bejoc was killed when a steep portion of an excavated slope in Sitio Kamangway collapsed on him. The incident happened at 5 p.m.
Four hours after digging through the thick mud and boulders, rescue workers found Bejoc.
“He was resting below the steep portion of the slope not knowing it already had a crack caused by a dynamite explosion. When it collapsed, he was buried,” MGB Chief Roger de Dios said.
Bejoc was with his father Mario and an older brother, but the two managed to escape unhurt, said a report by the three-man team sent by the bureau to Catmon, about 57 kilometers north of Cebu City.
They were among the many individuals excavating for limestone. What they mine is sold to stone furniture firms in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cities.
The bureau is also recommending that buyers of the limestone without a DENR permit should also be arrested and charged.
The steep areas should also be cordoned off because the possibility is high that during rainy season these will collapse.
De Dios said there are authorized mining activities in the place and Bejoc was not among the workers.
“It’s obvious he was enticed by the price of the limestone. And we can’t hold any of the permitted mining firms liable for his death,” he said.
He said if the people in the place are interested to excavate for limestone, they can be issued a permit under the “Minahan ng Bayan” program of the government.
They only have to organize themselves into an association, deposit a certain amount of money with the bureau, get an endorsement from the Municipal Government and have the chosen area declared as a mining site by the PMRB. Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia sits as co-chairperson of PMRB.
De Dios said legitimizing the activity of the people in the place is another way of avoiding an accident because they will be apprised of the safety measures. (AIV)
