Independent group probes extent of Philex dam spills

ITOGON, Benguet – An independent investigatory mission focusing on environmental and social effects found negative impact of Philex Mining's tail dam spills last August.

Probing the impact of the spills that stopped operations of the giant mining operation in Padcal, Tuba, various groups consisting of experts and researchers grouped by the Katribu indigenous peoples party-list sifted through pieces of evidence indicating the impacts of the August disaster in Benguet and Pangasinan.

Itogon resident and Katribu leader Vergel Aniceto, an engineer and pastor, said the probe wanted  to determine and document the effects and impacts of the disaster to the lowland communities of  Pangbasan, Dalupirip and Itogon in Benguet, and San Manuel, San Nicolas and San Roque towns in Pangasinan.

Based on data gathered from residents, "the failure of Tailings Dam 3 was due to the excessive tailing deposits causing the rapture of the spillway tunnel of Penstock A.”

Aniceto said the lifespan of the dam is only 18 to 20 years and Philex should have decommissioned it in 2010.

The crater’s diameter (of the TD3) has reportedly increased to 30 hectares despite Philex’s attempts to stop the flow by filling the crater with earth and other materials. Since the collapse, the dam has released an estimated 20 million metric tons of mine tailings to the rivers below.

Felizardo Gacad, mine safety division chief of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said Tuesday that the leak has been plugged.

The leak came at the height of the August typhoons, prompting Philex to halt its operations.

Philex management however insisted the disaster was “an act of God” citing MGB findings exonerating the firm’s responsibility.

Aniceto said the incident affected the rivers (Tuboy  and Agno) as the main source of water for the community and livestock, irrigation and other use. “The communities say that rivers become turbid and murky after the collapse, and the water had a nauseating smell likened to rotten fish and of chemicals or medicine," he said.

They also observed that the surface of water has an oily film.

The environmental mission also found out that water levels in rivers became wider and higher because of tailings deposits.

During rainy days, rivers carried rocks and “black dirt” with the distinct smell of chemicals. Boulders, rocks and sand on riverbanks have a certain discoloration of a whitish color, residents complained, said Aniceto.

The mission also found out that the rivers have carried fine, sticky sediments deposited in farmlands (during flooding) and when it dries becomes hard like cement.

Residents reportedly had also suffered from several diseases/illness such as skin (rashes, itchiness, scaling and roughness), diarrhea, nausea, headache and sore throat upon contact or exposure to the tailings and water.

Several livestock (like cattle) have died upon drinking the water, while agricultural production has decreased, the mission also documented.

Reportedly, communities' harvest of palay are declining from 11-12 cavans to 30–40 cavans per hectare since 2001. “The palay has grown shorter and it quickly perishes. Spots and yellowing of crops were observed. Application of fertilizers has also increased but seems still no effect to crops,” Aniceto quoted the probe result.

Chemists-members of the probe gathered samples of water and silt in several key areas in Agno River and Baloy creek, Aniceto said, adding that these will be sent to Manila for a detailed chemical analysis for heavy metals present and other chemical substances.

Feny Cosico of AGHAM, an organization of scientists said “our firsthand observations of the river system in Balog creek tell us that the river may be considered biologically dead. There was no sign of living thing or any form of life found in the river. This only means that there is a high concentration of toxic substances. Because of the turbidity of the water, sunlight could not penetrate the riverbed causing the normal biological processes needed to maintain life to cease.”

Aniceto  said “Philex has already done too much damage not only to the environment but to the indigenous peoples and communities that have relied all their lives to the Agno river for their livelihood. It is the right of the people to ask Philex and government for just compensation for these damages. The rehabilitation of the river and the communities should also be given the highest priority.”

Social engineering projects of Philex like construction of foot bridges, distribution of relief goods and the like after the dam spill did not respond to the destruction but remained, Aniceto said, as “band-aid” solutions.

Philex, however, while maintaining its innocence on the effects of the dam spill,  vowed to prioritize rehabilitation of the rivers supposedly affected by the spill, while questioning the fines imposed by the MGB-DENR.