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Monday, October 31, 2005
Small miners deny hand in tunnel blast
HUNDRED of miners staged a protest rally Sunday at the gold rush mountain of Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley denouncing insinuations that they were the ones responsible for the cave-in at Sunshine tunnel to pressure the National Government into giving in to their demands.
In telephone interview Sunday, Mt. Diwata barangay captain Franco Tito said he received reports that Environment Secretary Michael Defensor is suspecting sabotage in the cave-in last Wednesday to create furor in the mining area.
A national daily report quoted an environment undersecretary as forwarding the theory of banned explosives being smuggled inside the mines to assist in the mining operations, and the sabotage by competitor mine operators.
"These are the types of operations of 20 years ago that we want stopped. These operations are dangerous to workers and the environment," Defensor told a national daily in Manila last week.
Defensor was also quoted as identifying the Brillantes mining group as one of three private groups conducting small-scale operations in the area, of which not one of the operations has been approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
"These small-scale operators are the ones opposing the government's mining stake in Diwalwal," Defensor was quoted as saying.
Tito's group does not consider the JBMMC as a small-scale mining operation despite the government's claim that it is.
The barangay chief also clarified the issue about the alleged sensationalism on the number of victims in the accident.
Tito was accused by some people of creating undue alarm by padding the number of victims.
He maintained that there are more victims than what is officially reported.
Official report as of Sunday listed 11 dead with 13 others still trapped inside the tunnel.
Tito is claiming that there are more than 50 miners inside the tunnel when it caved in at around 8 p.m. on October 26.
Authorities, however, dismissed Tito's claim as baseless and exaggerated. (BOT)
(October 31, 2005 issue)
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