• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Nine individuals were hauled into custody following a joint law enforcement raid that dismantled an illegal mining site in Barangay Bacuyangan, Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental, on February 26.
The suspects, led by a 38-year-old mining manager identified as alias Zhi, were caught in the act of extracting mineral resources without legal authority in Zone 10.
The workforce, recruited from as far as Masbate, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, and Zamboanga Sibugay, consisted of driver alias Berto, 53; generator operators alias Jo, 27, alias Chris, 23, and alias Leo, 40; backhoe operators alias Dio, 31, alias Dan, 46, and alias Ed, 40; and alias Ran, 57.
An array of equipment and contraband were also recovered on site, including 2 backhoes, 2 10-wheeler dump trucks, a red Toyota Hilux, a vibrating screen, and a generator control panel.
Also recovered were two boxes of mercury bottles, various identification cards, including an alien certificate, a bolo, and a cache of ammunition consisting of 52 rounds for a 5.56 mm caliber and 23 rounds for a .45 caliber firearm.
Authorities moved in after the Mines and Geosciences Bureau confirmed that the site lacked the necessary permits for small-scale mining. The suspects are currently in the custody of the CIDG for proper legal disposition.
They face multiple charges for violations of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and the People’s Small-Scale Mining Act.*
