FOLLOWING the Feb. 6 landslide in Barangay Masara in Maco, Davao de Oro that claimed the lives of at least 98 people, a regional development council official confirmed Friday that the council will conduct a comprehensive meeting to discuss the closure of mining operations in the affected area.
The Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao de Oro has already agreed that the danger zone, as identified by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), should be free from any residential buildings and infrastructure.
“Wala pa (Nothing yet), but I have heard already coming from Governor [Dorothy] Gonzaga (of Davao de Oro) that they have identified the no-build-zone na strictly enforced na gyud ang no-build zone which cost the lives of many. But as to whether to stop mining, wala pay balita ang (no news yet from) RDC, but we will be meeting by March,” said Arturo Milan, vice chairman of the Davao Regional Development Council, during the 14th Anniversary of Mindanao Development Authority and the 30th Founding Anniversary of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area press conference last Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
To recall, MGB-Davao revealed that Masara had been identified as a “No Build Zone” since 2008 and had been listed as a critical area due to its geographical location and the presence of volcaniclastics – a type of soil that is made up of fragments of volcanic origin, such as agglomerate, tuff and certain other rocks. However, despite its recommendation, several people still reside in the area.
Based on the initial tally provided by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office of Maco, 98 bodies have been recovered by emergency rescuers while nine individuals have been reported to the Management of the Dead and Missing Persons as missing.
In a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange last Feb. 12, Apex said the landslide that claimed lives in Zone 1, Barangay Masara occurred outside its mining site.
“The area where the slide happened is outside the mine site of Apex Mining. However, the said area is where the buses that ferry the employees of the mining company wait for its passengers," said Apex Mining, which added that the slide occurred about 500 meters away from the company gate following two weeks of heavy rain in Davao de Oro.
“Three buses and one jeepney rented to ferry the employees and service providers from the outgoing 7 p.m. shift were buried during the landslide,” Apex said, as it confirmed that nine employees of the company had been recovered dead from the landslide site. / DEF, with CTL