By Bong S. Sarmiento SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines — On a sunny Wednesday in August, police officer Loreto Malon and a subordinate were riding their motorcycles in the mountain mining village of Ned on their way to the lowlands when a speeding haul truck loaded with coal nearly hit and killed them. “We could have been crushed if we did not swerve to the shoulder of the road to avoid the hauler truck,” Malon said, mouthing expletives. For more than a year, 10- and 12-wheel heavy haul trucks with payloads up to 35 metric tons have become a regular fixture in the once sleepy village of Ned. In the …