COTABATO CITY, Philippines โ Authorities in Region 12 are ramping up their campaign against illegal small-scale copper and gold mining in Tampakan, South Cotabato after two miners drowned in floodwaters that swept through a clandestine site.
Local officials identified the victims as Johnry Samling and Richard Sumali, residents engaged in banlas โ a hazardous sluice mining method that uses rudimentary tools and portable motor-driven water pumps to extract gold.
The deaths prompted the Police Regional Office-12, led by Brigadier General Romeo Juan Macapaz, to coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region 12 (DENR-12) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Region 12 (MGB-12) to intensify the crackdown.
Only one company โ Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI) โ holds a national government contract to mine copper and gold in Tampakan. However, SMIโs large-scale operation has yet to commence despite being awarded the project more than two decades ago.
DENR-12 director Felix Alicer said his agency, MGB-12, and SMI have been working with community leaders to raise awareness about the environmental damage caused by banlas. Blaan tribal leaders have also joined the effort, stressing the long-term impact of illegal mining on ancestral lands.
โWe in PRO-12 will support the efforts of the DENR-12 and MGB-12 in putting an end to all forms of illegal mining activities in that municipality,โ Macapaz said.
The law mandated legitimate mining firms to implement extensive environmental protection programs. These safeguards, according to officials, are absent in illegal operations that continue to put lives and ecosystems at risk.
About The Author
