MANILA -- The mayor of a mountain town where a landslide triggered by typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) buried a mine said he tried, but failed, to stop its operations.

Mayor Victorio Palangdan of Itogon, Benguet said he issued a "stoppage order" but it was ignored.

"Hindi po nila ako pinaniwalaan. Wala ako kapangyarihan na patigilin sila," Palangdan told ANC's Headstart. The miners claimed only the environment department could stop the operations, he said.

(They didn't believe me. They told me I didn't have the power to stop them.)

Fourteen people were pulled from the rubble and 60 others are believed to be missing, he said.

Benguet Corp said Monday it suspended operations in the area before Ompong hit but its move was met with "resistance and outright refusal."

Palangdan said it was up to the victims' families if cases would be pursued against Benguet Corp.

A technical conference with Environment Sec. Roy Cimatu is being planned to assess the safety of small scale mines in the area, he said.

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