THE City Government of Panabo has clarified that the previously reported collapsed tunnel on Sunday, March 31, 2024 at Purok 3, Barangay Manay, did not actually collapse but that there was an explosion allegedly caused by a flammable substance.
Michael Angelo Resueño, Panabo City Information Officer, revealed that the two victims were Rodilo Campanya, 36, from Carmen, Davao del Norte, and Henry Rabino, 50, from General Santos City.
Based on the investigation conducted by the Bureau of Fire Protection-Panabo (BFP-Panabo), the first responder in the area, around 36 percent of flammable gas in the area was detected.
"Naa man gud didto'y suspected nga substance nga flammable. And possibly, ang duha ka victims nagdala og martilyo, lansang and then nasuspetsahan nga maoy hinungdan sa pagsabog kay possible ning spark ang ilahang gigamit nga materials while naa sila didto sa baba (There was a suspected flammable substance. And possibly, the two victims who brought with them a hammer and nails, triggered the explosion because it could be that the materials they used sparked while they were inside the tunnel)," he said in an online press conference on Thursday afternoon, April 4, 2024.
He added that the barangay captain in the jurisdiction was not aware of the treasure hunt excavation as the tunnel has no permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) and the authorities have no information regarding how long the tunnel has been existing.
The owner of the lot where the tunnel is located has already been identified and is now in the hands of the authorities.
“Until now, wala pa nakit-an ang ilahang lawas and according sa [rescuer] nga ning baba sa area right before the water level, ilahang gi-check ang tubig and dili nila ma-identify ang mga lawas and dili sila pwede makasalom kay delikado para sa mga enforcers (Until now, their bodies have not been found and according to the rescuer who are in the area, they could not identify the bodies, and they cannot dive as it is dangerous for the enforcers),” he said.
As of press writing, the local government unit of Panabo (LGU-Panabo) has set ways and will act on the complaints of the families of the victims.
He also said that the incident set precedence for their plans and next actions, encouraging other barangays to check their areas in their community if there is illegal mining or excavations.
"If naa moy plano (If you have plans) to conduct a treasure hunt, there should be a permit coming from the MGP-DENR,” Resueño said. Kia Bacomo, DNSC Intern