Hold Officials and Illegal Miners Accountable
In 2013, no less than the Court of Appeals issued a Writ of Kalikasan—the fourth in the country—directing ten government agencies and two local government units that form Task Force Kinaiyahan (LGUs) to stop illegal mining and logging, which had been identified as key causes of the devastating Typhoon Sendong on December 17, 2011.
While illegal logging may have been curtailed, illegal mining has not only continued—it has intensified. As the then Chairperson of Task Force Kinaiyahan, I witnessed this firsthand. In 2014, we apprehended five Chinese nationals conducting illegal mining operations in the uplands of Cagayan de Oro. They were found in their campsite, equipped with heavy machinery, high-powered firearms, and only tourist visas.
To our shock and confusion, these individuals were detained for merely a week before being allowed to return to China. This alarming leniency was just the tip of the iceberg. What truly baffled us was the presence of industrial-grade equipment and weaponry in their remote site.
Many critical questions remain unanswered to this day: Before the deployment of thirteen (13) backhoes for mining, there were already sixteen (16) barges dredging the Iponan River for gold. We learned that each barge cost around 15 million pesos. Who were the financiers behind these operations? Were these barges imported directly from China or Korea? This is possible, considering that several Korean and Chinese companies were among the 61 operators granted permits by the LGU and issued Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR.
If these barges were indeed brought in by foreign firms, how were they able to enter the country undetected? Did they bypass scrutiny from the Bureau of Customs? So many questions—yet no answers. The ECCs issued by the EMB were for sand and gravel quarrying only. How then were these permits used to justify full-scale mining operations? Why haven’t any of the concerned agencies issued stoppage orders or canceled these fraudulent permits?
Shockingly, Chinese nationals operating on tourist visas were manning these barges, extracting sediments and alluvial deposits from the Iponan River. Environmental experts estimate that one ton of extracted sediment yields only about five grams of gold. Still, the plunder continues. To this day, we in SULOG—One Sendong is Enough, the Environmental Coalition for Peace, Justice, and Sustainability—are left in the dark. Without answers, we can only speculate on how powerful and protected these illegal miners truly are.
These painful truths directly contradict the claim of the late former Mayor Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano, who once said that miners were merely using “picks and shovels.” That is no longer the case. Today, illegal mining has escalated not just in the uplands of Cagayan de Oro, but also in Iligan and Opol.
When illegal miners are spending hundreds of millions on heavy machinery alone, it’s not far-fetched to believe they are making billions. The mineral-rich uplands of Cagayan de Oro, Opol, and Iligan are being ruthlessly exploited, with our ecosystems sacrificed on the altar of greed and profit. And while these foreign miners—shielded by powerful backers—remain hidden, their operations are often fronted by well-known barangay officials, as revealed by various exposés and testimonies and to quote;
“Hello and good day to you all. The illegal mining operations here continue, taking place just behind Zone 4 in Tumpagon, near the boundary of Cauyunan and Barangay Tumpagon in Cagayan de Oro City. These activities are reportedly led by the so-called “untouchable” officials of a nearby area, along with the area himself. The operations allegedly involve his relatives — one from the so-called names. There is also ongoing mining in another part of Tumpagon, in a place called Binaloy. These activities are causing landslides and serious environmental destruction. They also have operations in Simon, Tumpagon, and Dumalokdok, as well as in Binaloy, Tumpagon. Because of this, the destruction of the environment continues. What’s disheartening is that the green truck donated by the city for emergencies is now being used to transport crude oil for illegal mining. This is being carried out with the help of the so-called name right-hand man, who is also the aide of so -called officials. He’s the one driving the truck for them. Hopefully, this can be stopped soon”
After losing the beauty of nature and the immense ecological wealth above ground due to massive illegal logging, it is now time to focus on the non-stop extraction of resources beneath the earth. This should be a serious concern for all Cagay-anons and Mindanawons. If we remain silent, environmental catastrophe will surely follow—just as it did when Typhoon Sendong struck Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, killing 3,000 people and displacing 11,000 families.
In light of this, our environmental movement, Sulog—a movement for peace, sustainability, and justice—is once again appealing to the Court of Appeals to revitalize the Writ of Kalikasan. There is an urgent need for the court to issue an order to form an impartial and independent body to conduct a thorough investigation into those responsible for these illegal mining activities.
It is time to hold accountable to those officials at all levels who are openly supporting illegal mining, even using vehicles donated by the city government. Unless these powerful individuals—whether Chinese, Korean, or Filipino—are arrested and prosecuted, illegal mining will continue unchecked, at the expense of both our environment and our people.
Honorable Justices, this critical and urgent issue was completely ignored during the recent midterm elections, which were dominated by money and political spectacle. The dire state of our environment must now become a central focus for the Filipino people, as we are in survival mode—being the fourth most disaster-prone country in the world. Your timely and decisive intervention by reissuing the Writ of Kalikasan could become a liberating force to protect our people from the deceptions of power and politics. We appeal for an urgent action.
To you, we offer our firm and respectful salute.
