Tampakan vows tougher measures vs ‘banlas’ mining after deaths of two illegal miners

Destruction caused by illegal “banlas” or sluice mining in the mountains of Tampakan, South Cotabato. Taken during a raid in December 2024 conducted by a municipal government-led task force against illegal mining. Photo from the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office of Tampakan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 15 August) –– The local government of Tampakan in South Cotabato said it is intensifying its campaign against illegal hydraulic mining, locally known as banlas, following the drowning of two miners in Barangay Pula Bato last week.

Mayor Leonard Escobillo said the crackdown aims to protect the environment and keep residents safe from the hazards associated with the destructive practice, which uses high-pressure water jets to strip mountainsides and extract minerals.

In a video posted on the town’s official Facebook page on August 13, the mayor said he will coordinate enforcement operations and pursue cases against those involved, issuing an executive order creating a “Task Force Laban sa Banlas Mining.”

“Based sa mga reports na na-gather namin, may mga locals na operators sa certain sitio dito sa Barangay Tablu,” the mayor said, referring to one of the areas where illegal mining is active.

Escobillo said some local business owners, including those running rice stores and small hardware shops, have been supplying materials to the operators.

He added the local government is also monitoring outsiders who have entered the area to engage in illegal mining.

“Kaya desidido tayo ngayon kasi may mga outsider na. Basta kami, wala kaming sasantuhin — taga-Tampakan ka man o hindi, basta involved ka sa illegal mining, we will track you down,” he said.

(That’s why we are determined now because there are already outsiders. As far as we’re concerned, we don’t care if you’re from Tampakan or not, if you’re involved in illegal mining, we will track you down.)

A day after the announcement, the local government joined forces with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the provincial and community offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and its Law Enforcement Division, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion, and barangay officials for a joint inspection of reported banlas sites.

Inspection teams found evidence of severe environmental damage, including eroded slopes, silted waterways, and the loss of forest cover and crops.

Authorities have long warned that banlas mining contributes to deforestation, landslides, and mercury contamination of rivers, threatening the watersheds that feed agricultural lands in Tampakan and neighboring towns.

The intensified drive comes after the August 8 drowning of two men who were swept away by floodwaters while working at a banlas site in Pula Bato. Six people have died in similar incidents in the municipality since 2012.
 
Officials hope the campaign will not only curb environmental destruction but also prevent further loss of life in Tampakan’s upland communities, where poverty and the lure of quick earnings continue to draw people into the dangerous trade. (Guia A. Rebollido/MindaNews)