2 small-scale miners dead in Masbate mine pit collapse

By: Rey Anthony Ostria, INQInquirer Southern Luzon, May 04, 2017

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay — Two of the gold panners buried when a shallow pit in the mining town of Aroroy in Masbate province collapsed Wednesday were found dead after hours of search, Police Chief Inspector Ariel Dayap Neri, Aroroy chief of police, said on Thursday.

The body of John Philip Grego, 28, was found at 4:44 p.m. on Wednesday while the body of Aljun Balbuena was found at around 8 a.m. Thursday in Sitio (sub-village) Bagong Sirang, Barangay (village) Panique.

Neri said the victims and five other small scale mine workers entered the old mining site which had been closed. He said the men were panning gold when the soil above them collapsed at around 8:30 a.m., burying the workers.

Rescuers were able to pull out five of the miners alive. They are now being treated at Aroroy Municipal Hospital.

Following reports of the collapse, Jamon Espares, Masbate second district board member, handed the victims and their families financial help.

“I ask for the full closure of the Filminera Resources Corporation in Aroroy and to tighten security in the area that they are claiming,” he said. He also said that the closure would prevent panners from entering the area and the tunnels.

In a statement, the Filminera management said that they have been doing their part in protecting their Mineral Production Sharing Agreement from illegal small scale mining through information dissemination in the communities.

The Filminera management also said that an average of 16 illegal small-scale miners have been apprehended every month by FRC security.

The company also encouraged the local government and police of Aroroy to help them deter their constituents from conducting unregulated and unsafe small scale mining practices. SFM/rga