DIWALWAL: THE CURSED MOUNTAIN

Mindanao, Philippines - November 2025

In Diwalwal, in the heart of Mindanao, the gold rush has never stopped. The area is known as “the golden mountain,” but also as “the cursed mountain.” Thousands of people work every day in hand-dug tunnels, often without ventilation and without safety measures. Some manage to extract enough gold, others dig merely to survive.

In the 1980s the region experienced one of the largest gold rushes in Southeast Asia. Within months, miners, fortune seekers and entire families arrived from across the country. The lack of regulation led to the creation of countless tunnels, clashes between rival groups, accidents, landslides and collapses that have caused many deaths over the years.

Small-scale mining has also had a strong environmental impact. The use of mercury and other chemicals has contaminated rivers and sediments. Independent studies have detected pollution levels above safety thresholds, with direct consequences on the health of local communities.

In this reportage I document the lives of the miners, the extraction techniques and the conditions inside the tunnels. Among the central voices is Franco Tito, a historic figure among small-scale miners. For years he has represented them in disputes with companies and local authorities, and in the past he even defended Filipino communities against multinational interests with weapons in hand.

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