KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 15 February) – A portion of the national highway in remote Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu, where coal mining extractions are underway, remained impassable to all kinds of vehicles after landslides caused it to cave in, officials said.
Ned chairperson Allan Ikan Alam said that heavy rains caused the landslides that destroyed a portion of the concrete road in Sitio El Dulog that rendered it impassable to all kinds of vehicles since Friday.
“The damaged road is very near the coal mining site, which is just below the road portion destroyed by the landslides,” he said in a phone interview on Sunday.
He noted the collapsed road is “about 150 meters from” where heavy hauler trucks loaded with coal deposits start their travel towards the port in Maitum, Sarangani where they are loaded into ships.
Coal mining operations have been ongoing in Barangay Ned in the last three years. The coal operating contracts were awarded by the Department of Energy to Daguma Agro Minerals, Inc. (DAMI), Sultan Energy Philippines Corp. (SEPC), and Bonanza Energy Resources, Inc. (BERI).
San Miguel Corp. acquired the three companies in 2010, but in separate disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024, it revealed the sale of DAMI, SEPC and BERI to an undisclosed third party.
Diocese of Marbel Bishop Cerilo Casicas, who is opposing the coal mining project, said during a community dialogue in Lake Sebu last September that the “unknown identity of the corporate owner/s” makes it difficult whom to hold accountable for whatever happens in the venture.
Alam said that to access the barangay hall of Ned from the lowlands of South Cotabato, vehicles need to pass by Barangay Gapok in Senator Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat province.
Before the landslide destroyed a portion of the national highway in El Dulog, the Ned barangay hall can be reached using the roads from Lake Sebu and Sto. Niño towns.
The village chief said the damaged road remained impassable to all vehicles as of 9 a.m. Sunday.
A new alternate road near the damaged portion of the highway was opened by residents but passable only to motorcycles, he added, noting it is difficult to pass through due to steepness.
In an advisory, the department of Public Works and Highways – Region 12 said that as of February 13, a portion of the national highway in Sitio El Dulog , Barangay Ned has been rendered impassable following a landslide that caused significant damage to the cemented roadway, resulting in a complete blockage of the route.
Rolly Doane Aquino, South Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief, said that six families were affected by the landslide that destroyed a portion of the national highway in Barangay Ned.
“Barangay Ned is known for its ongoing coal mining operation. Experts note that the presence of coal may have contributed to the landslide, as it can increase soil instability,” he said in a statement posted on Facebook.
In a 2019 assessment, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau – Region 12 reported that portions of Barangay Ned are prone to landslides and tension cracks.
Tension cracks, which form when part of a slope shears off due to underlying instability, have long been an issue in the area.
Aquino said they will ask MGB-12 officials to visit Barangay Ned again for assessment and explain the soil instability there. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
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