By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Five suspected illegal miners, including two Chinese nationals tagged as financiers, were arrested in an anti-illegal mining operation in neighboring Rosario town of this province, police said Tuesday.
Operatives of the Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13), in coordination with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Bunawan, swooped down on a mining site in Purok 8, Barangay Wasian on March 3, confiscating heavy equipment worth ₱6,107,000.
Arrested were two Chinese nationals identified only by their aliases “Chen,” 50, and “Ty,” 55, both residents of Hanchuan City, Hubei Province in China, and reportedly acting as financiers. Also nabbed were “Boy,” 36, a laborer from Esperanza, Agusan del Sur; “Jean,” 36, a backhoe operator from Marilog District, Davao City; and “Jenny,” 41, a resident of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.
An interagency task force led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) will be formed to crack down on large-scale illegal mining operations allegedly financed by Chinese nationals that are threatening the Hinatuan River watershed, officials said.
Seized from the site were two WEICHAI excavators valued at ₱6 million, a generator set with water pump worth ₱100,000, 12 pieces of artificial turf mats worth ₱5,000, and two wooden pans valued at ₱2,000.
PBGen. Marcial Mariano P. Magistrado IV, regional director of PRO-13, commended joint elements of the Regional Intelligence Division-13, 1303rd Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-13, the Provincial Intelligence Team and Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Agusan del Sur Police Provincial Office, and the Rosario Municipal Police Station for the successful operation.
“PNP Caraga and partner agencies remain fully committed to intensifying the campaign against illegal mining and other crimes that endanger the environment and natural resources,” Magistrado said. He urged the public to report information on illegal mining and related activities.
Police said charges for violation of Sections 102 and 103 of Republic Act No. 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, will be filed against the suspects before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.
Authorities said the crackdown is part of ongoing efforts to curb unauthorized mining activities in the region, which have long been blamed for environmental degradation and river siltation in parts of Agusan del Sur.
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