By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Syr — Two miners were killed and another critically injured Monday when a landslide struck a small-scale gold mining site in the mountain village in Sitio Periko, Barangay Anomar in Surigao City.
Gernando Paymalan Sr. and Charlito Tañania were pronounced dead at the scene, while Vic Manuel Dela Torre was rushed to a nearby hospital in serious condition.
The collapse occurred while the victims were manually digging soil and rocks to extract gold through sluice mining, locally known as banlas.
Rescue teams from the Bureau of Fire Protection, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine Army responded after a resident raised the alarm.
Neil Christian Almazan, operations crew of the command center of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Office (CDRRMO) in Surigao City, in a mobile phone interview, confirmed the incident occurred on Monday as he was one of those who responded and went to the area.
He said their head, Threlcie Villaces, CDRRM Officer, was attending a session at the city council discussing the cause of the tragedy and formulating regulations on illegal mining activities in the hinterlands of the city.
Informal mining like banlas is common in Surigao, but authorities warn it carries high risks due to unstable terrain and lack of safety measures.
The tragedy comes amid intensified enforcement against illegal mining. On January 26, 17 small-scale miners were arrested in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, for extracting gold using mechanical and electrical equipment without legal permits.
Authorities seized equipment worth about ₱510,000, and the suspects face charges under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
Both the landslide and the arrests underscore the ongoing hazards faced by informal miners in the Caraga region, where livelihood pressures often push residents to work in unsafe conditions.
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