Operations at the Panian coal mine on Semirara Island in the Philippines were still on hold on Tuesday, as officials continued investigating the July 17 wall collapse that killed nine workers.
Yesterday, the Semirara Mining and Power Corp officially declared the last missing worker in the mine pit accident a fatality, with search and retrieval operations are still continuing.
At about 3.45am, last Friday, a portion of the northern edge of Panian mine gave way. Three bodies were recovered, with six missing over the weekend.
A statement from the company said management had condoled with the families of the victims and is giving them full support.
“It is also coordinating with national and local authorities to keep them updated on the search and rescue efforts and other necessary measures including ensuring the adequate supply of coal for power generation since it has stopped operations in the affected area in compliance with an order from the Department of Energy,” they said on Friday.
“The company is investigating the cause of the accident in coordination with authorities.”
The six missing miners were confirmed dead after a landslide hit a coal mine in Semirara Island in Antique.
An estimated 50 people were said to be working at the coal mine for the night shift when the landslide took place.
Operated by the DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI), the Semirara coal mine operation was temporarily suspended last February 13, 2013 after a similar incident killed five workers then.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has suspended the environmental compliance certificate issued to the Semirara coalmine project following the landslide incident.
DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones said the suspension is to ensure that such incidents will not happen again.
“We’ll review conditions indicated in the ECC. It is possible that the conditions set there don’t anymore match with the physical condition of the area,” said Leones, adding they might need to impose additional safeguards.
As to the cease-and-desist order (CDO) earlier issued by the DENR Region 6 office, Leones said that it shall be in effect until the respondent implements approved mitigation measures.“
“The experience brought about by this incident will result in a more focused evaluation on risk as well as safety in addition to impacts to the environment as commonly perceived,” he said.
Leones, also director of the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), also said that there must be strengthened coordination with other government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment concerning working conditions in the site, and the Department of Energy (DOE) for coal mine safety rules and regulations.
Semirara is the country’s largest coal miner, and has promised to support the families of the victims.
“Moving forward, we will shoulder all the education expenses all the way to college of the children of the victims. If they are already of employment age, we are prepared to provide them with jobs,” the company statement said.
“We will begin flying the victims’ immediate family to Semirara Island tomorrow. Two of the bodies will be flown to their hometowns within the next 48 hours. We will shoulder all the funeral expenses.
“Should the surviving families decide to stay in Semirara Island, we will provide them with free permanent housing in the area. Otherwise, we will provide them with housing assistance elsewhere.
“We continue to pray for the families as they go through this difficult time. We are committed to providing them with the support they need to rebuild their lives.”
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