The proximate causes of natural disasters, like typhoons, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and the like are those who unabatedly and shamelessly destroy nature in the name of insatiable greed. These miners and loggers do not really care if thousands of lives are put in danger, or if family habitats are subject to grave and imminent landslides and inundation. All they think of is money, money, money, and money. They dig and destroy mountains and forests, they eliminate the source of potable water, and they drive away settlers from their homes, displacing them and making them miserable.
The tragic disaster that struck that cement factory in Tinaan, City of Naga, was an accident that was waiting to happen. It could have been prevented had government taken decisive, proactive, and concerned commitment to protect the lives of people, rather than leave the company pursue its operation unmolested by intervention. Above all failures, it was the failure of the local government, which failed to safeguard the safety, security, and well-being of its constituents. It was not a question of whether the many who perished were natives of the place or transients. They were human beings residing inside the local government's area of responsibility.
The miners and the loggers are the bane of a society that has been devastated by too many natural disasters and calamities. These conscienceless people who are already rich due to their decades of denudation of our natural habitat, do not seem to be contented. They want to suck the last mineral wealth from the belly of Mother Earth. They destroy watersheds, pollute the seas and rivers by dumping toxic chemicals. They destroy the livelihood of subsistence fishermen and farmers. They do not have any semblance of social responsibility. They are the true enemies of the people, more reprehensible than terrorists and rebels.
If I were an NPA commander, these logging and mining moguls deserve the justice of the people. These miners and loggers have committed, are still committing, and will most likely continue to commit their heinous crimes against humanity. They are mindlessly destroying the mountains which carry the watersheds and the green trees that are required to maintain a healthy balance of the habitat for both fauna and flora. If the government is failing in its duty to protect the people from these abusers, then, there must be protection in some other ways, within the framework of the law.
The good people of Naga should wake up and organize themselves. If their local and the national government fail to protect their environment, they should devise other lawful means to stop the endless ravishing of their mountains and habitat. If they don't, who else will?