March 3, 2000, The Philippine Star, Diwalwal death toll rises to 11, by Edith Regalado,

March 3, 2000, The Philippine Star, Diwalwal death toll rises to 11, by Edith Regalado,

DAVAO CITY - The death toll in Monday's explosion at the gold-rush site at Mt.
Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley has reached 11 as six more bodies were
found inside the tunnels the other day.

The victims were killed either by fire-bombs or deadly chemical fumes allegedly
unleashed by rival mining firms JB Management and Helica Mining Corp. which
have been embroiled in a territorial dispute in the area.

More than 40 miners were downed by the toxic fumes inside the tunnels. They are
now confined at various hospitals in the province.

This developed as Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Antonio Cerilles
warned that more violence might erupt at Mt. Diwalwal with the issuance by the
Court of Appeals of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the acceptance,
processing and approval of small-scale mining applications in the gold-rush
area.

The appellate court granted the petition of the Southeast Mindanao Gold Mining
Corp. (SMGMC), which opposed the move of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources setting aside 729 hectares at Mt. Diwalwal for small-scale
miners.

"The TRO means that the conflict will continue because the provincial mining
regulatory board cannot approve any application for a small-scale mining permit
in the area," Cerilles said.

Cerilles was surprised about the TRO's speedy issuance. He said the SMGMC got
his order last Feb. 14, and the firm filed the petition the following day.

Cerilles said the order also stopped the government from addressing the complex
problems of environmental protection and rehabilitation at Mt. Diwalwal.

The Supreme Court has yet to act on SMGMC's petition to nullify the "win-win"
solution offered by the Mines Adjudication Board, delineating 729 hectares as a
people's small-scale mining area and offering the rest of the 4,000 hectares to
the mining corporation.

Also pending with the Makati regional trial court is a P112-million damage suit
the SMGMC filed against the DENR.

This developed as at least 10,000 miners failed to hold a rally yesterday at
the Davao International Airport where they were supposed to carry the coffins
of the 11 victims in the outbreak of violence at the mining site.

The miners were supposed to time the rally when the President was slated to
leave Davao City ending his five-day sortie in Mindanao.

But no miners showed up until the President's plane left the airport yesterday.
- With John Unson, Jose Rodel Clapano