By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Police operatives arrested nine Chinese nationals and one Filipino in a raid on what authorities described as a large-scale illegal mining operation in Barangay Lobo in Cantilan town in Surigao del Sur on April 9, as the government intensified its anti-illegal mining campaign across the Caraga region.
Authorities said heavy equipment and mining paraphernalia recovered from three identified sites were believed to have been used in the illegal extraction of mineral resources, with the confiscated machinery alone estimated at P50.5 million.
Recovered from the sites in Carac-an Downstream were excavators, pay loaders, dump trucks, generator sets, sluice boxes, water pumps, bunkhouses, and other support equipment, according to police.
The suspects were placed under the custody of the Cantilan Municipal Police Station pending documentation and the filing of charges for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, as well as other possible environmental and immigration offenses.
The operation was led by the Regional Intelligence Division 13 (RID-13) under the supervision of Col. Rolly D. Albaña, acting on Target Intel Packet No. G05-2026 of RIU-13, and under the direction of Brig. Gen. Marcial Mariano P. Magistrado IV, PRO-13 regional director.
Also involved in the joint enforcement action were the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Enforcement Division, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-Caraga, Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)-Cantilan, Regional Mobile Force Battalion 13, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Caraga, Philippine Air Force, Cantilan Municipal Police Station, and the 2nd Surigao del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company.
Authorities said the suspects were caught allegedly engaged in illegal mining activities and are now under the custody of the Cantilan Municipal Police Station for documentation and the filing of appropriate charges.
The Cantilan raid was the latest in a two-month crackdown in Caraga led by the Police Regional Office-13 and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The campaign picked up after a Feb. 10 coordination meeting between the two agencies, where officials agreed to intensify monitoring, strengthen intelligence gathering, and sustain joint law enforcement operations against illegal mining in the region. By mid-February, authorities had already reported 35 arrests, including foreign nationals, while later operations pushed the number past 60.
Subsequent operations also targeted larger and better-equipped sites. On March 3, authorities arrested two Chinese nationals and three Filipinos in Rosario, Agusan del Sur, where they confiscated illegal mining equipment worth around P6.1 million. Police said the two foreigners were believed to have acted as financiers, while the local suspects served as laborers and backhoe operators.
Magistrado said the latest operation reflected the police force’s resolve to protect the environment and go after those exploiting natural resources for profit.
“Illegal mining not only destroys our environment but also undermines lawful industries and community safety,” Magistrado said, adding that PRO-13 and its partner agencies would continue intelligence-driven operations and hold violators accountable.
Police said all confiscated equipment and paraphernalia were turned over to the DENR for proper disposition and environmental case build-up.
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