The Cagayan Valley people called for justice for the small-scale miners who fell victims to a mine collapse in Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno, in the town of Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya.
On the night of June 23, five miners—Alfred Dulnuan, Joval Bantiyan, Daniel Segundo, 47; Lipihon Ayudan, 56; and Florencio Indopia, 63—entered a tunnel inside the compound of FCF Mineral Corporation. The ground of the mine collapsed, trapping them inside. The absence of safety gear and the lack of oxygen caused them to become dizzy and lose consciousness.
The accident was only discovered the next day, around 1:00 a.m., by their fellow miner. However, because of the distance and lack of signal in the area, they were only able to report the incident to the police at around 10:30 a.m. Finding the five unconscious, Authorities initially thought they were dead.
The rescue operation on June 24 saved Dulnuan and Batiyan at a depth of 300 meters. Segundo’s body was retrieved On June 25 at a depth of 400 meters, while the bodies of Ayudan and Indopia were recovered on June 26.
Because of the length and narrowness of the toxic air filled tunnel, volunteer rescuer John Philipi Guinhid from Barangay Runruno also died.
The three who died were residents of Runruno, while Bantiyan was from Maddela, Quirino.
According to Tanggol Magsasaka Cagayan Valley, instead of showing compassion, authorities have only deepened the suffering of the grieving Runruno community, which they have labeled a “hotspot of illegal mining.”
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and other government agencies identified Barangay Runruno as having unregulated small-scale mines. Gold is commonly mined in the barangay. In 2021, the MGB launched a crackdown on allegedly illegal mines in the barangay that were not declared as Minahang Bayan. If such crackdowns continue, many residents who rely solely on mining for their livelihood will lose their livelihood.
Tanggol Magsasaka-CV denounced the crackdown on small-scale miners while authorities remain eager to issue mining permits to large mining companies such as MetalsEx (owner of FCF) and OceanaGold. In fact, the operations of large mines push communities like Runruno into poverty and health risks because they destroy and contaminate the environment that provides food and livelihood for residents, explained Tanggol Magsasaka-CV.
OceanaGold has managed the Didipio Mine in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya since 2013, mining gold and copper. MetalsEX Mining Company or Metals Exploration Plc is a gold production, exploration, and development company operating in the Philippines and Nicaragua. The company has managed the Runruno Gold Mine in Nueva Vizcaya since 2016 and has an exploration project for gold mining in Abra.
“Protection for small-scale miners, not for large, destructive, and plundering foreign mining corporations!” Tanggol Magsasaka-CV demanded.
