Nine men were arrested in an operation against illegal mining conducted by authorities in Barangay Bacuyangan, Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental on Feb. 26.
The arrests were carried out by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) as part of Oplan Kalikasan, a campaign targeting the unlawful destruction of natural resources.
Among those arrested was a Chinese national identified as “Xiong.” The other suspects were identified by their aliases as Bert, Joey, Chris, Rey, Leo, Randy, Dante and Egay.
According to the CIDG, the suspects were allegedly caught conducting illegal extraction and processing of mineral resources without the necessary permits or authorization from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and other government agencies.
Authorities also seized several pieces of mining equipment during the operation.
Confiscated items included two backhoes, three 10-wheeler dump trucks, a vibrating screen machine, two boxes of mercury and an automatic generator set control panel.
The equipment was estimated to have a total value of about P17.5 million.
Investigators said the suspects will face charges for violating Section 102 (Illegal Exploration) and Section 103 (Theft of Minerals) of Republic Act No. 7942, also known as the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
The alleged violations are also in relation to Section 3(c) of Republic Act No. 7076.
Hinoba-an Mayor Daph V. Reliquias said he immediately coordinated with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) after receiving reports and complaints about the alleged illegal activity last week.
Reliquias said the coordination was made to ensure that the operation followed proper legal procedures and due process.
The mayor reiterated his strong opposition to illegal mining and emphasized his responsibility to protect the municipality.
Authorities are continuing the investigation following the arrests.
