ITOGON, Benguet – Some twenty small-scale miners from Mountain Province underwent a two-day capacity building training geared towards improving their mining practices, especially in small-scale mining operations, that include the underground mine ventilation and rock support orientation.
This initiative was undertaken by the Planet Gold Philippines in partnership with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGBB) and the Itogon Suyoc Resources, Inc (ISRI) which served as the training ground for the miners because of the similar mineral extraction process being done in the mine site to that of the pocket miners.
The participating miners came from Sagada and Paracelis towns in Mountain Province where small-scale mining operations are being undertaken by various small-scale mining associations.
The Planet Gold Project, a global environment facility supported program “Global Opportunities for the Long-term Development of the Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining Sector,’ is a 5-year project designed to address key issues linked to continued mercury use and to provide sustainable development opportunities for small-scale mining communities.
Implemented in nine countries including the Philippines, the program aims to reduce the use of mercury in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
The project has four components, namely the formalization, access to finance and markets, improved practices, and communication and knowledge management.
Under the project’s training design, rock fall, toxic gasses, extreme temperatures and cave-ins are some of the most difficult hazards inside an underground mine.
Further, valuable minerals are found all over the country and most often, the only way to extract them is by mining into the earth’s ground.
Ironically, the loss of life has been staggering over the years that it has been practiced, as are the hazards the miners face daily.
From cave-ins to poor air quality, confined spaces, mining offers much to be wary of.
The training capacitated the participating miners to assess and evaluate mine working and understand the importance of mine ventilation, proper rock support, and drainage management inside an underground mine to address and minimize these hazards.
Earlier, the MGB collaborated with the Planet Gold Project in the conduct of the capacity development activities that is aimed at improving mining practices and small-scale mining operations.
Resource persons of the training were ISRI veteran miners and technical personnel that provided the participating miners the real situation on the ground and how to address issues and concerns related to the problems identified in the underground mine.
