Malacañang trying to cover up ugly record on labor issues

“In its desperation to cover up its failure to heed workers’ demands, the government is resorting to cheap shots against the KMU. It is dismissing workers’ legitimate demands on the issue of wages, contractualization, oil prices, demolition of poor communities, Hacienda Luisita, and US troops,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

Davao-based agri firm gets GGAP recertification

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/29 March) – For the fourth consecutive year, Davao Agricultural Ventures Corporation (Davco) has been certified as compliant with the high standards of the Global Good Agricultural Practices (GGAP).

GGAP or Global GAP is a private sector group that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe.

Davco has passed the recertification audit conducted by Latu Systemas Quality Austria (LSQA), the certifying body that sets the operational standards for agricultural practices to ensure product safety in different parts of the world.

But Elianora Lasay, Davco’s senior manager for operations, said the certification process was not easy as the company invested so much in its equipment, facilities and human resources to be able to comply with the stiff requirements.

With the recertification, Lasay added that it has contributed to the efficiency of the operations of the company.

“Although as a company, we already have our own policies in our day to day operations, GGAP has made us more efficient,” she said in an interview, adding that Davco was the first company in Asia to be accredited by GGAP.

Davco grows pineapple in Calinan and Baguio Districts in the city and in Don Carlos and Quezon towns of Bukidnon.

In its website, Davco said it adopts the GGAP protocol, which covers specific operational areas such as quality management system and documentation, review and training on workers health and safety, safety of the final product, environmental protection and animal welfare.

Under GGAP guidelines, Lasay pointed out that the company should comply 100 % of the “major must” and 95 % of the “minor must.”

“Even small amount of chemical dripping is not allowed,” she said, adding that strict compliance with a policy like this could not just help protect the environment but also help save company resources.

The GGAP accreditation, she noted, has made their workers more disciplined. “Also, we have an edge on the market because the customers are assured that our product is safe.”

Another example, Lasay said, is requiring first aid kits in every working area, as the company strictly implements a “no personal protective equipment, no work” policy as one big factor that strengthens and upholds the company’s standards in primarily maintaining the safety of both workers and the final product.

City agriculture officer Leo Avila welcomed the recertification of Davco, saying it is as a way towards sustainable agriculture.

Avila said good agricultural practices are a standard that he believes should be followed by a lot of agriculture industry players.

To ensure compliance with the guidelines, Lasay said they are conducting regular internal assessments or inspections as part of monitoring to ensure adherence to the GGAP’s control points and compliance criteria.

In its website, it reported that with the full compliance with GGAP, it has paved the way for Davco to increase its pineapple production from 3.9 million boxes in 2010 to 4.8 million boxes in 2011. This is the highest yield in the production history of Davco since its incorporation in 1981.

Davco produces fresh Del Monte Gold pineapples for export to international markets such as Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Middle East and New Zealand.

It is a joint venture between Del Monte Fresh Produce International Inc. and Anflocor, a Mindanao-based conglomerate with business ventures primarily in agriculture, industrial services, and real estate and resort development. (Keith Bacongco/MindaNews)

Although I also love to watch 4×4 off-road races but I still love motocross because it is more thrilling, I love to watch and shoot these high-flying machines.

In high school, I learned few BMX tricks with friends in Pigcawayan,(North  Cotabato) We also made a backyard race track and tried to fly our BMX.

On Sunday, it’s still amazes me to see this legendary rider – Glenn Aguilar – who dominated the expert and pro-open categories during the motocross race at the Moto-X Davao track in Crocodile Park, Maa, Davao City. The event , which was organized by Moto-X Davao, is part of the month-long celebration of the 75th Araw ng Dabaw.

If I  remember it right, I think the last time I’ve seen Aguilar on track was in Midsayap, North Cotabato. This town also hosts motocross race every year during its patronal fiesta, the Halad Festival, which is  every third Sunday of January.  It’s the feast of Sr. Sto. Niño.

During my elementary years in Koronadal, I have already seen this guy chasing Jovie Saulog, Ernie Leongson and Jolet Jao, who were then the top gun riders in the country.

Both Jao and Saulog ruled the Camel Motocross seasons for years but Aguilar later on dominated the motocross tracks in every race in different parts of the country.

I remember also that those were the days – 250cc machines era– when these riders were still backed by Petron-Kawasaki, Caltex-Honda and Shell-Yamaha teams.  Aguilar then rides for Shell-Yamaha. Now he rides for KTM.

On Sunday, Aguilar dominated the expert and pro-open categories against Kimboy Pineda, Ambo Yaparcon, Donark Yuzon and Shawn Lim.

Here in Davao, the race is free of admission while in other places, especially in the provinces, race organizers  are asking at least P100 per day. But the problem of having this for free,  organizers could hardly control the crowd because many of them would love get inside the track — even the old ones, the women and children.

They are really close to the speeding bikes. Sometimes the bikes would land just few inches from where they are standing.   In my years of watching this sport, I have never tried that close. Besides, I could not take good pictures if I’m really close to the subjects.  I’m not shooting  portraits or macro here

I’m inside the track because I have a job to do. But I avoid some dangerous spots of the track, I anticipate the path when crash happens. Especially if amateur riders are on the track, I really avoid dangerous spots like the whoops as well as some spots where they often attempt a double jump.

Even with the presence of the police and TF Davao, the crowd would still push themselves inside the track. But head organizer Bok Mata pleaded to the crowd to keep off the track in 10 minutes or else he would be forced to stop the race and proceed to awarding ceremonies.

Race marshalls sprayed water from a stand by firetruck to drive away the people from the track but it seems ineffective. Mata repeated the warning that they will be forced to stop the race if the crowd wont cooperate.

The warning paid off, with the help of the men in uniform, the spectators eventually left the race track. But then after one of the heats, they slowly returned inside the track.

Most of the spectators came to enjoy the race but many of them really don’t understand the dangers of this sport. I’m hoping that the race organizers would find means next race to keep the spectators off the track.

Maybe put some barriers; even used tires. Pile them up around the track to prevent the people from coming in. It may be costly but it’s better to be sorry.  This also makes the race more organized. For instance when an accident happens among riders, paramedics could easily navigate themselves into the track.

Riders, too, don’t want to inflict injuries among the crowd should accident happens inside the track. These riders have nothing to lose; they are paid to cheat death.

As Travis Pastrana says: “ I calculate risk for living.”

P.S. : Kudos to Bok Mata for organizing the race for free, for Davaoeños as well as for our guests to enjoy the weekend. For keep yourselves updated on motocross race in Mindanao, visit Moto-X Davao website.  Perhaps, the motocross on Sunday was the only event we have covered in this year’s Araw ng Dabaw celebration.)

Here are some of the photos taken during the race:

In this photo, Fr. Franco sorts the newly-harvested tomatoes from his backyard farm in Buda.

 Priest uses gourmet food to help the needy

What started as a hobby for Italian priest Franco Uras has become a money-making venture to help tribal children in the mountain village of Buda in Davao City.

The Salesian priest and his German doctor friend, Wolfgang Csato, are hosting benefit dinners to raise money for children in the village. The duo prepare Italian and German dishes that they sell for US$8 during benefit dinners in nearby towns. (Read More)

Dog Agility Contest 3rd National Davao Dog Summit in Davao City on Saturday, March 10. The dog summit, which gathered participants from Manila, Cebu, Bacolod and Davao,  is one of the activities for the 75th Araw ng Davao celebration.

Video clips during the Women’s Market at NCCC Mall in Davao City on March 8-9, 2012. The event was organized by Oxfam Philippines.

–
The Women’s Market, the Philippines’ first market of women’s products and ideas, gives you a chance to help some of them concretely and to make a statement that rural women — who grow part of the country’s food — count. Read More

Police officials said the suspects went on shooting spree as they arrived at the store, which is owned by a Filipino-Chinese Leo Apalie Lai.

Killed on the spot were Edgar Mocos (security guard) and Allen Jones Polo (a store employee).

Another employee Darios Pilotos was also wounded in the incident while some of their colleagues were able to jump over the fence at the back of the warehouse.

After carting away P900,000 cash, the suspects fled using the traders’ vehicle towards the direction of this city. But they were cornered at KM 31, which is already at the boundary of Panabo City and this city.

Responding policemen from Panabo City, led by Senior Inspector Rene Alampay, engaged the robbers in a shootout and hit Alampay in the head.

He was rushed to Rivera Hospital in Panabo but was later transferred to Davao Doctors Hospital here.

Two of the robbers were killed and a certain Irene Pilotos, who is believed to be a relative of one of the employees.

Police. Supt Marvin Pepino confirmed that Alampay expired later while being treated.

Pepino said they were able to recover the cash from the suspects, whose identities are still on hold for further verification.

He added that one of suspects was killed inside the vehicle while another one was killed when he tried to escape.

The police officer, however, said that they are still investigating if how the civilian, who was reportedly a hostage, was killed in the shootout.

But Davao City Police chief Sr. Inspector Ronald dela Rosa, who also responded to the scene, believed that the suspects were also involved in previous robbery incidents in the city.

Dela Rosa added that these robbery suspects are operating in Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur. (SOur

Bibo was already waiting for us near the town hall when we arrived. It was 9:30 a.m.

For an out-of-town coverage like this one, it is important to maintain one driver, especially so because this is not an easy drive to the site. It is important to entrust your safety to someone experienced. Habal-habal drivers also serve as your local guide as almost everyone in the village knows them, and vice versa.

Trust your driver and trust his motorcycle. Ordinary motorcycles could not easily make it to the gold-rush sites. Habal-babals are heavily modified motorcycles.

On that day, we headed to Sitio Panganason to descend from Sitio Haguimit again via the Nangkaan trail, so named because of the many jackfruit trees in the area.

After more than an hour’s ride over rough roads, we reached sitio Haguimit. As we descended, the trail looked better compared to our first day. It was not as slippery as on Thursday (January 5). We learned that the miners restored the trail so that it would easier for rescue volunteers to move back and forth.

It was almost 12 noon when we arrived. Most of the volunteers were having their lunch at the bunkhouse of Hexat Mining. No one was left digging. While waiting, we took few a shots. Then we descended again near the foot of the landslide site.

About five minutes later, the small-scale miners emerged from the shanties and resumed digging.

Looking for Cho-cho

I saw Bernabe again. He was still quiet but kept on digging using a shovel. He hasn’t found Cho-cho yet. I wanted to ask him Cho-cho’s real name, but I did not anymore. I wanted to give him some space.

This time, he was joined by his sister and two brothers-in-law. A TV reporter had just finished interviewing his sister. I learned from his sister that Bernabe only had one meal since the landslide happened. So that was one meal in three days.

On barefoot, Bernabe looked pale but he was still strong. He dug into the earth using the shovel with so much force as if he could break his tool. If I could just read his mind, I think he was hoping that every rock he turned, he could find his daughter.

I wanted to talk to him again but his actions showed his frustration. So I opted not to interview him anymore. I took a few shots and observed him and his fellow miners digging through the mud and rubble.

He unearthed a piece of cloth, and stared at it for few seconds. Maybe he was wondering if that was from his destroyed house. Then he threw it away and started plowing again. He struck the earth and the mud so hard, his shovel hitting some rocks.

His fellow miners were pouring water beside a big rock about a meter wide to soften the earth around it and thus easier to push. Bernabe’s colleagues were shouting at him to move out of the way because the rock was about to roll towards him.

“Abe, padaplin! Mabali ng imong tuhod kung maipit ka anang bato!” one of the miners yelled.

But Bernabe ignored him, continuing to dig through the mud beside the rock. As the boulder started to roll, he jumped to the top of the rock, then pushed it downwards with his feet and immediately had a peek behind the rock. He must be hoping to find the body of his daughter.

But there was none. Frustration was written all over his face.

We could smell the stench of death around. Flies were everywhere.

Then one miner started digging where the flies were, a few meters away from Bernabe. The miner called up his colleagues to dig on that spot because he could smell something. After a foot deep of digging, one of them hit something soft. It smelled so bad. Some rushed to the spot to see what it was.

Bernabe stood and looked towards them. As it turned out, it was just a slice of pork. Then I noticed Bernabe walking away. Just about two meters away, he sat on a pile of lumber gathered from destroyed houses.

I moved downwards, deeper into the foot of the landslide where most of the miners were digging because it was there where they retrieved most of the bodies.

When I looked up, I saw Bernabe still sitting on the pile of lumber, his head down resting on his arms crossed over his knees. He was shaking his head slowly, apparently crying. I looked for Toto because I knew he had his telephoto lens with him. I only had a standard zoom lens mounted on my camera, I could thus not get a much better shot since Bernabe was out of my range.

Then I saw Toto taking pictures of him. I signaled Toto to keep on shooting. It was a dramatic picture that would show his frustration while his daughter has yet to be found.

Soldiers, police no more

We noticed that it’s already 2 p.m. and the other rescue volunteers – like those from Apex Mines, military and police – were no longer around. I thought they would resume digging after having their lunch.

No more journalists too, except for one foreign TV crew.

Anyway, the miners continued digging.

On alert

Suddenly, everyone scampered for safety because the police in the upper part of the hill ordered them to stop digging because the debris was moving.

I was interviewing the leader of the miners when everyone ran. He radioed his men who were monitoring the movement of the fissure near the origin of the landslide.

He said everything was okay and that there was no need to panic. He ordered his colleagues to continue digging. I was confident, I trust him more than the policemen because he has been living and working there for 30 years.

The miners said it was because of a leaking water hose that caused the mud to fall off a cliff. I already noticed when we arrived.

I looked for Toto, I saw him in the higher portion of the hill. I signaled him a thumbs up, meaning “I’m okay here.”

The miners continued digging. A police officer arrived with his small megaphone, saying something that we could not hear amid the noise from the shovels and the crumbling .

The miners ignored the police and continued digging. The police officer left. I saw Toto looking at the digging. At 2:45 p.m., I signaled him that we would leave by 3 p.m.

The smell was getting worse. Then they found a body part. They continued digging until they found a leg. The miners poured more water until a hand surfaced.

Looking for Ange

One miner said: “I hope that’s Ange now.” Someone asked what Ange was wearing the last time they saw him on Wednesday evening. One of the miners said: “ A red and black sweat shirt.”

The volunteers found a piece of cloth of red and black. Somebody whispered again, saying: “Unta si Ange na gyud na.”

Ange’s name was like “talk of the town” in the gold-rush site.

After 15 minutes, they have fully retrieved the body and transferred it to the body bag. But they were not sure if it was Ange or not. They could hardly recognize the deformed face.

Toto was already around taking pictures of the retrieval. I was moving away once in a while because of the stench.

It was not the first time that I saw and took pictures of a dead body. But I was looking for an angle that would not show the dead man’s face nor all of his body. If you want to shoot a dead body, shoot it with dignity.

Almost everyone had his nose covered because of the stench, but a few could withstand it.

After the body was taken to the “temporary morgue,” we decided to head back to the town proper.

While ascending, I looked back to the shanties standing on the edge of the mountain, thinking what awaits them since the village has been identified as a high-risk area.

Back in sitio Haguimit, we passed by a store for a quick snack. Toto, Bibo and myself were already starving. We ordered three cups of instant noodles.

Then we heard a motorcycle roaring through the narrow road. One of the villagers shouted: “Abe, kita na bata mo?” Then a male voice answered: “Wala pa!”

I did not immediately recognize that it was Bernabe, who was riding on a motorcycle heading to sitio Panganason. I was facing the store when they passed by. But I saw his back, he was still wearing the dark blue shirt and short pants, the same set of clothes since Day One of the rescue operations.

It was the loudest voice I heard from him since I saw him digging through the rubble. Those who asked him were not strangers, they were his fellow miners.

At the store, I asked Rosebeth Hilamon, the owner, if they were not afraid of the landslide. She replied: “Wala man, naanad naman mi ana dire.”

Hilamon, who has been living in sitio Haguimit for 14 years, said they used to own a ball mill plant in Sitio Diat 2, but it was hit by the landslide.

Then I asked her who Ange was. Ange was a gold buyer in Sitio Diat 2 who used to own a store and a billiard table, where miners while away the time, drinking beer and playing billiards.

I checked the Philippine National Red Cross’ the list of missing persons. There I learned that Ange’s real name is Angelito Ubas; Cho-cho is Chona.

After talking to several miners, they said landslides have become a part of their lives. Poverty has pushed them to work in the mines, digging not just for the gold, but their own graves as well.

As of this writing, 40 bodies have been retrieved from the site while 41 are still missing.

The retrieval operations have ceased. Ange and Chona would remain on the missing list.

Like in the previous landslides, many have remained missing. It was impossible for the volunteers to retrieve the bodies due to the deep mud and the rubble.

The landslide sites have become a poor man’s grave. (Keith Bacongco / MindaNews)

Published: MindaNews 

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 January) — On our second day of coverage of the landslide in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, we decided to take the Tibagon route because it was still 9:30a.m. Besides, the weather looked fine that Friday, January 6, 2012.

The chopper was on standby in case there would be survivors in the landslide. Or it could be used to transport the cadavers if the weather permitted. But I really had doubts because based on our experience last year in Sitio Panganason, the nearest landing zone was at least three kilometers away.

We asked around if the chopper would really insert additional rescue volunteers or additional soldiers to secure the area, but no one could answer us. Everyone was busy. Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo was coming, and everyone was busy preparing reports or presentations. So we decided to take Tibagon Route so that we don’t have to hike back and forth from the site to Sitio Haguimit. Besides, muscle pain in our legs would slow us down.

Bibo arrived and once again we had our rain boots, water, biscuits, my headlamp (in case we went down very late in the afternoon and darkness fell while we’re still on the road).

Around a kilometer away from the highway, we passed by an excavator moving towards our direction too.  I signaled to the driver if he’s going to the landslide site. He just gave me a nod. The heavy equipment was moving as slow as a snail.

After an hour on the road, we had to drive along the river. But that was just for about 50 meters, and then we ascended back to the road. Bibo said that during heavy rains, it is impossible for motorcycles to cross because of the strong current when water level rises.

The view of dense forest was quite rejuvenating. About 30 minutes to our destination, we could see the long strip from a distance; it’s the landslide site, which we reached after at least two hours of roller-coaster ride. This time, over a hundred volunteers – small-scale miners, soldiers, police and workers of Apex Mining – were digging, hoping to find survivors.

At the “temporary morgue,” five more bodies had piled up as we arrived.

Several photographers and TV crew were already around busy interviewing people – families of the victims, rescue workers, miners, police and the military.

Ruby decided to stay in the upper portion of the landslide site as some rescue workers were also digging near the spot where bunkhouses used to stand. I went down again near the foot of the landslide. From the top of the hill, the rescue volunteers looked like busy ants marching through the mud and rocks. As usual, they were still using water to soften the mud.

Tolentino children

Then one of the miners told me that one of their colleagues lost all her daughters in the landslide. Three have already been retrieved while the other one was still missing.

He pointed to a lanky guy, wearing short pants and on barefoot, who joined the rescue volunteers from Apex Mines in searching for her missing daughter, 8-year old Cho-cho. He is Bernabe Tolentino, whose three other daughters were retrieved hours after the landslide. Two TV crews from Davao were talking to him. A villager told me that Bernabe was still in shock and had not eaten his meals since the landslide happened.

I checked my watch, it’s almost 12 noon.

After the TV crews were done interviewing him, I wanted to interview him too. But I had a dilemma because I knew he was grieving and obviously still in a state of shock. I observed that when he was being interviewed, he was not looking straight at the camera. He was not simply shy, I believed he was hesitant. I assumed that what he had in mind was to search for his daughter, instead of talking to strangers.

I waited for a few minutes before taking some photos while he and the volunteers were digging. Then I moved up near the spot where he was digging. I waited for a few minutes again until he would take a rest before I would talk to him.

When a miner from Apex talked to him and Bernabe stood still, I took the opportunity to ask my first question. I think he was asked by the miner if he had eaten his meals up in the bunk house of Hexat Mining.

He just replied: “Sige lang, okay ra ko.”

While I was asking him, he was really hesitant. After asking a few questions and getting the names of his children, I moved back since he was about to start digging again.

As the small-scale miners were digging, we could hear some of them looking for a certain “Ange.” I did not ask who is he and why he seems to be popular in the village.

I returned to the upper portion of the hill and rejoined Ruby and the rest of the journalists.

The backhoe

Around 2p.m., we left the site and headed back to Tibagon. An hour later, we met the backhoe on our way down. We stopped and asked the driver if they were really going to the landslide site to help the rescue operations. He was accompanied by two assistants.

In vernacular, I asked him: ”Are you going to landslide site?” The driver said yes and asked: “Are we still far? How many hours to go? How long did you travel?”

Bibo told him that they hadn’t reached midway yet. “It takes at least two hours to drive to the landslide site,” he said with a chuckle.

The backhoe driver laughed and just shook his head. Remember, we passed them 9a.m. around a kilometer away from the highway, running as slow as a snail. Later we learned that the backhoe arrived on Sunday. So they spent three days on the road.

A military official quipped: “Tamang-tama pagdating ng backhoe, retrieval operations na.” (Keith Bacongco / Mindanews)

Source: MindaNews

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/12 January) – Ruby and I were supposed to finish editing the photos we took on the aftermath of Tropical Storm Sendong Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan cities when I heard on radio that another tragedy occurred in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, a gold rush site.  I haven’t unloaded some of the things in my backpack after the trip to the disaster-stricken cities, nor drained the water in my bladder pack. The headlamp and some camera accessories were still inside the bag too.

The first report said six persons were already confirmed dead while some were reported missing. A few minutes later, the military reported that 16 bodies had been pulled out from the mud and rubble.

I asked Carol if we could go with Gigi. She said, go ahead.

Although I had no idea where exactly the landslide site is, I knew it would be a long uphill ride because I heard about the gold rush sites, sitios Diat 1 and Diat 2, last year when we covered the landslide in Sitio Panganason in neighboring barangay Kingking. Sitios Diat 1 and 2 are in Napnapan.

While preparing to leave, I scanned my phone directory if I still had the number of a certain Alex, an employee at the office of the mayor.  Luckily, I still have it. So I called him to ask how far the landslide site is. He told me that it’s just on the other side of Sitio Panganason. He said we could go there either via Barangay Tibagon which would take at least two hours by motorcycle, or via Sitio Panganason, which would take more than an hour but we have to walk for about 30 minutes.

I sent a text message to Maj. Jake Obligado, commander of the 10th Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion, asking him if we could ride the chopper together with the rescue workers even if I knew it would be hard to find a landing zone given the site’s rugged terrain. He didn’t reply. But I understand he has other priority concerns, particularly coordinating the rescue efforts with their counterparts on the ground.

Also, in times of disaster, while we know that journalists would compete who can file the first report, we must understand that choppers are meant to transport the survivors from the site to the town proper for medical treatment.

On our way to Pantukan with Toto Lozano, we could see the clouds already kissing the Diwata Mountain Range. It presaged bad weather. So we assumed that it would really be difficult for the chopper to find a landing zone.  As we entered the town proper, we saw the aircraft hovering over the town proper on its way to Kingking Elementary School, the landing zone during the rescue operation last year.

We went straight to the incident command post in front of the Pantukan town hall. Journalists, both from print and broadcast, were already there waiting for the briefing. After the briefing, we learned that there was no landing zone and the retrieved bodies had to be brought down to the town proper on a dump truck. Last year, the retrieved bodies were transported using motorcycles.

Experienced drivers

Ruby and I decided to hire a motorcycle, locally known as habal-habal. We knew that it would be a rough ride; we had to get the best driver.

Toto took charge of covering the survivors at the hospitals and the families of the victims. He would wait, too, for a chance to ride the chopper for an aerial survey if the weather permitted.

Again, I called up Alex and asked him if he could help us find the best driver available for our own safety even if hundreds of motorcycles are plying the route. It does not mean that we don’t trust the local villagers; it’s all about getting safe to our destination without any scratches and broken bones.

Alex sent Bibo, a 34-year old driver who has been plying the route for 14 years. I asked Bibo which is the shortest route. He said the route via Barangay Tibagon is more convenient because we don’t have to hike to the landslide site. But since it’s already 1p.m. and the weather was getting bad, we were forced to take the route via Sitio Panganason and hike. But he told us it’s going to be short, like 30 minutes. We dropped the Tibagon route because it might rain and the rivers will be flooded, and we couldn’t make it back.

We had our rain boots on and had raincoats inside our bags. Almost halfway to Sitio Panganason, a heavy rain poured. We had to put our raincoats on, and of course, wrap the cameras with plastic. After an hour and 15 minutes, we were already in Panganason, 15 minutes ahead of the usual travel time. From there, we had to pass by shanties and narrow alleys in going to Sitio Haguimit, where we would descend to Sitio Diat 2, at the foot of the landslide site. Only motorcycles can pass the road to Haguimit.

It was raining pretty hard when we arrived in Haguimit. The villagers told us that we should not descend from Diat Uno, where the landslide originated because it was too dangerous. Besides, we had to hike for 20 minutes then descend through the boulders and mud. We did not take the risk but instead descended through the route known as Nangkaan, named after the jackfruit trees that grew near the trail made more slippery by the rain. We had to use both of our hands to hold on to twigs, roots and rocks.

On our way down, we could still hear the machines used in ball mill plants. Everything seemed normal, as if nothing happened down in Diat Dos.

After 10 minutes of steep descent, we’re still halfway to our destination. Bibo pointed to us the location of the landslide, which we couldn’t see from our position. We could only see the villagers standing on a cliff, which turned out later to be the edge of the hill that collapsed. Ten minutes more and we finally arrived in Diat Dos, happy to survive the 200-meter descent.

The trail ended on the dirt road that leads to the national highway in Barangay Tibagon. Just across the end of the trail was an unfinished shanty. Built using lumbers and galvanized iron sheets, it served as a “temporary morgue,” and stood right outside the Hexat Mining Corporation compound.

The stench of four corpses in body bags greeted us. We took a few shots of the body bags. Five minutes later, rescue workers carrying another body bag walked towards the gate of the compound.

After taking some more shots, we walked towards the people we saw on our way down.

To my right, I was stunned by the massive mud and debris that swathed the gold rush site. A house was leaning on its side, the posts were wrecked but the roof was still intact. We were told that the family who owns the house was able to survive, though slightly hurt.

As I looked down, I could see debris and felled trees that were draped with mud. Several people were also digging through the dirt and rubble.

While we were warned to be cautious because there was still movement of the soil in the upper portion of the mountain, we could still see some people coming down through the path of the landslide.

Ruby and I checked on around 10 persons digging through the mud using water and hand tools. The ground was still soft. I was thinking if it was really safe to stand beside those who were digging. After taking a few shots, I asked Ruby to descend again.

At least 30 meters below, at least 20 persons were also digging. They said they recovered the five bodies near the bottom of the landslide.

All the rescue volunteers turned out to be workers of the mining company and small-scale miners in the area.

Earlier that day, we heard on the radio reports that the military and police dispatched one platoon each to assist in the rescue operations. But we were surprised that only the local villagers were actually doing the rescue efforts.

Yes, we saw the police and Army. They were actually around, probably securing the site.

Gunshots warning

While we were taking pictures at the bottom of the landslide, gunshots rang at 3:50pm from the top of the mountain. Then the people on the higher portion of the mountain shouted to us to climb back to the safer grounds.

It took us about 10 minutes to descend from the compound, but in just a few seconds, we were able to ascend halfway. All of those in the path of the landslide also rushed to the safer grounds. No one was left.

Ten minutes after the first gunshots, at least three more rang from the top of the mountain. Everyone left the path of the landslide. This time, the rescue volunteers decided to call off the rescue efforts because it might rain again.

I learned from the villagers that they were actually warned hours before the landslide.

At around 12 midnight, after interviewing some villagers and miners, I saw three women sitting outside a shanty. One was still crying, while the two others looked very worried. I was hesitant to interview them because I understood they needed some space. One guy told me that the one who was still crying is the wife of one of the missing miners. The two others are her sisters, whose husbands were also miners but were able to survive.

We headed back to Haguimit, another grueling 200-meter ascent. Back home, it was just sad to imagine how the lives of these poor people would end. They had no choice; they had to risk their lives to feed their families. For most of them, dying and surviving the landslides have become a part of their lives in the rugged mountain range of Mt. Diwara. (Keith Bacongco/Mindanews)

Source: MindaNews