Bodies of 3 miners, 1 rescuer retrieved

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QUEZON, Nueva Vizcaya — Three bodies of small-scale miners who got trapped in a tunnel after entering it on Monday night were finally recovered by rescuers in Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno, in this town.

Barangay Captain John Babli-ing identified the deceased miners as Daniel Segundo, 47; Florencio Indopia, 63; and Lapihon Ayudan, 56, all residents of Barangay Runruno.

Segundo’s body was retrieved from the more than 400-meter-long tunnel at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, while Indopia and Ayudan’s remains were recovered at 12:10 a.m. and 12:22 a.m., respectively on Thursday.

Segundo, Indopia and Ayudan entered the tunnel on Monday with two other small-scale miners identified as Alfred Dulnuan and Joval Bantiyan.

Dulnuan and Bantiyan were rescued alive on Tuesday at around 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.

Meanwhile, a volunteer rescuer, John Philip Guinihid, tragically lost his life and was pulled out of a tunnel at 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

It was on Wednesday at around 3 a.m. when Guinihid and another volunteer rescuer, Johnny Ayudan, brother of one of the trapped miners, entered the tunnel to help in the search and rescue operations.

Rescuer Ayudan, however, was pulled out of the tunnel alive at 3:30 p.m. or 45 minutes after the retrieval of Guinihid’s body.

Pastor Mario dela Cruz of the Philippine Bethel Church, Inc., also a volunteer rescuer, said Guinihid and the three small-scale miners likely succumbed to oxygen deprivation which can cause dizziness and loss of consciousness inside the tunnel.

“While deep inside the tunnel to help in the rescue and retrieval operations, I suffered a severe headache and struggled to breathe, making the rescue and retrieval efforts extremely challenging,” Dela Cruz said.

He said the mechanical ventilation equipment provided by FCF Minerals and OceanaGold made the rescue and retrieval operations possible.

Joining the rescue operations were the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, FCF Minerals Corp., OceanaGold, Lepanto Mining, Runruno barangay local government unit, Quezon municipal local government unit, and volunteer groups.

Not FCF employees

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Nueva Vizcaya, meanwhile, has confirmed that the miners who were trapped inside the mone were not employees of FCF Minerals Corp.

Alex Garcia, DoLE Nueva Vizcaya officer-in-charge, said they conducted inspections and investigations to ensure compliance with labor laws and standards upon learning of the incident at Sitio Balcony.

“We found out that the individuals trapped in the tunnel in the village of Runruno in Quezon were not in any way employed by the FCF Minerals Corp. and negates reports over social media that they were workers of FCF Minerals Corporation,” the DoLE said.

Not part of operational area

Meanwhile, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Region 2 director Mario Ancheta said that the area where the incident happened is not part of the operational area of FCF.

An FTAA is a permit issued by the national government to a multinational company sharing technology and resources to explore and extract minerals in the Philippines. FCF was issued its FTAA to operate the Runruno Gold-Molybdenum Project in Quezon town.

The FCF Minerals Corporation’s total FTAA area is 3,093.51 hectares and the total project footprint is approximately 420 hectares.

“The tragedy that happened in that area is a result of unauthorized small-scale mining activities, which pose serious risks not only to those involved but also to the broader environme nt and nearby authorized operations,” Ancheta said.

Based on a report, FCF has already closed up to 80 networks of tunnels within its FTAA area that were formerly operated by illegal small-scale miners.

He said that the mining operation of FCF has been strictly adhering to the Philippine mining laws and environmental regulations and remains fully compliant with the conditions of the agreement and all other applicable permits.

“Together with the MGB, the company consistently supports the government’s campaign against illegal mining, not only because it threatens the sustainability of the mining sector but more importantly because it endangers lives,” Ancheta said.

He said that MGB Region 2 is continuously monitoring and assisting to be active and diligent in conducting regular security patrols, although “it is also restricted in its ability to secure the entire area of land within its FTAA, especially at night.”