Senator Loren Legarda has asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Energy (DOE) and Department Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to investigate the landslide incident at the Semirara Coal and Mining Corporation that claimed five lives.

Dubbing it a labor safety tragedy, Legarda, who was in Iloilo for yesterday’s Team PNoy rally, said that there is a need to review the labor safety standards instituted at mine sites.

She added that DOE, DOLE and DENR must also look into the mining projects all over the country to know if safety standards for workers are strictly complied.

These three agencies, she added, exercise regulatory control and oversight functions over coal mining companies.

Also, she urged that search and retrieval operations need to be carried out without let-up.

Assistance should be extended to the families of the victims.

Legarda also see the need for a review of Republic Act 7942, otherwise known as the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, in the wake of extreme weather conditions.

But as search and retrieval operations continue, Legarda said that accountabilities need to be established within and outside of government.

“Safety in coal mining is always an issue. There are environmental as well as health and safety implications to the workers. Semirara Mining Corporation was given a license to operate an open pit mining facility, but did they comply with occupational and safety standards?” Legarda asked.

Shortly before midnight of February 13, a landslide occurred in the Panian pit area of Semirara Mining Corporation’s mine in Semirara Island in Caluya, Antique.

Last Wednesday, the local government of Caluya held a special session with Juniper Baroquillo, Administrative Division Manager of SMC, to make official the commitment of the company by providing livelihood and scholarship program from elementary to college to the families and children of the victims.

A 7-man team from the 301st Infantry Brigade and five (5) K9 sniffing dogs support the on-going conduct of Search, Rescue, and Retrieval Operation.

A geologist was brought in as part of the team organized by the DOE to aid in the determination of the cause of landslide.

Due to the occurrence of subsidence of soil on the same area, retrieval operations were sometimes halted.

Caluya LGU, the Provincial Government of Antique, and DSWD VI already conducted Crisis Incident Stress Debriefing activities to wives and relatives of the casualties.

Aside from distribution of food packs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) extended financial assistance of P10,000 each to the families of dead victims, P 5,000 for each for the three survivors,  and 1,000.00 each to the families of the 5 missing victims.

Meanwhile, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III assured residents living near the Semirara mining site that operations will remain suspended if it is not safe for everyone.

Aquino said the suspension will be lifted only if there‘s a go signal from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

But, he admitted that some companies, whose power resources depend on coal, will be affected.*With Montesa Grino-Caoyonan