The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines called on the government to intensify its campaign against illegal small-scale mining in the country after dozens of small-scale miners were killed in a massive landslide in Ucab, Itogon, Benguet.
The group claimed the victims in Ucab are part of the illegal mining activities near an abandoned bunkhouse of one of its members, the Benguet Corporation.
“Illegal SSM (Small-scale Mining) does not employ the same stringent safety practices required of legitimate large-scale mining operators,” the Chamber of Mines said in a statement.
It added all their member-companies in Northern and Central Luzon have mobilized rescue and relief teams in their host mining communities.
Meanwhile, Benguet Corp. said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it warned small-scale mining operators in Ucab to vacate the area “as it had been identified by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) as a geohazard zone prone to landslides.” However, the company claimed their order had been met with refusal and resistance.
Benguet Corp. added it already deployed a rescue team to participate in the rescue and retrieval operations in the landslide-hit village of Ucab.
