Balabag – illegaler Goldabbau in Zamboanga del Sur

Balabag: A documentary film on illegal mining in Zamboanga del Sur

The illegal gold mining activities in the sleepy town of Bayog in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur have been going on for the past 15 years. Small scale miners have illegally claimed hundreds of hectares of lands in Balabag in the mountain village of Depore and since then have caused tremendous environment pollution. The illegal miners used cyanide and nitric acid and other hazardous chemicals including mercury to process gold.

And despite these problems, Filipino authorities are hapless in putting a stop to illegal mining in Bayog where miners blasted their way through tunnels with improvised explosives. Many laborers and miners had died from landslides and collapsed tunnels, but the greed over the precious metal is stronger over personal safety and the unabated mining still continues.