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Sunday, October 05, 2008
Miner arrested after being rescued from flooded mine
BAGUIO CITY -- The last of 16 miners trapped in a flooded gold mine in Itogon, Benguet was rescued after 11 days, and then arrested by police.
George Baywong, a Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) officer who supervised the rescue efforts, said Saturday that Joseph Anayasan was pulled out of the mine in Itogon township in Benguet province late Friday.
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"It was miraculous," he said of the miner's survival.
Anayasan was immediately whisked away by his relatives to evade police, who had a warrant for his arrest on unrelated theft and robbery charges, Baywong said.
Police arrested Anayasan on Saturday at the home of one of his relatives in Baguio city near Itogon, said Provincial Police Chief Danilo Pelisco.
The rescued miner had earlier been on trial for alleged robbery but jumped bail and disappeared. He was sentenced in absentia to six years in 2002, Pelisco said.
Anayasan was one of 10 survivors among 16 people who were inside the mine when floodwaters rushed in during a typhoon on September 22.
The bodies of the six others were recovered days earlier. Anayasan's brother, Mario, was among the three men rescued Wednesday.
Baywong said Anayasan's "hard-life upbringing" and his physical fitness contributed to his survival. "He may have prayed to God to let him live, promising to change," Baywong said.
He said Anayasan was located by former miners who volunteered to rescue him in a tight spot where navy frogmen, who had helped save the other miners, could not reach him with their equipment.
Baywong said rescuers helped move Anayasan about 1,500 feet (455 meters) along a horizontal shaft. They then gave him a little food and water so he could regain some strength to climb 300 feet (90 meters) on ladders along a vertical shaft and negotiate another 700 feet (210 meters) in a horizontal tunnel to get out on the side of a mountain.
He said Anayasan's family took him away Friday night because they were worried about how police would treat him right after emerging from the mine.
In light of this tragic mine accident at Goldfield Antamok in Itogon, Benguet, the Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) asked the MGB on Saturday to come up with a clear definition of the policy on responsible mining to ensure better understanding of its programs and projects for its realization.
The region's policy-making body also requested the MGB to present a comprehensive report on its activities related to responsible mining for proper monitoring.
Cordillera is a potential source of minerals subject for utilization and exploitation, but the previous bad experiences of host communities relative to large-scale mining operations are the major hindrances for the entry of mining companies to mineral-rich areas.
Among the bad experiences of host communities from the large-scale mining operations include uncompensated claims, destruction of forests and watershed areas, depletion of the sources of water, existence of subsidence areas, and unfulfilled promises to the people living in the affected areas.
The MGB came out with a policy on responsible mining through a collaborative effort of stakeholders for the benefit of the companies, the community people, the local government units, and the country as a whole.
According to the RDC, the implementation of responsible mining would prevent disasters in mining communities in the future. (AP/DS/Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (October 5, 2008 issue)
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