'Abonado pa sa piyansa': Three men land in jail after failed gold hunt in Occidental Mindoro
Three mining wannabes ended up with steel bars in a detention facility following their arrest for illegal activities while searching for gold in a mountainous area in Santa Cruz town in Occidental Mindoro.
Police Brig. Gen. Christopher R. Dela Cruz said police forces were immediate sent in Barangay Kurtinganan over reports of manual gold exploration in the area on Saturday, June 20.
Personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), backed by local police forces, chanced upon the three suspects who were busy digging up in search not actually for Yamashita treasure but some gold.
Seized from them were three spades, two crowbars, one sledgehammer, one chain block, and several rock samples believed to have been taken from the exploration area.
“Illegal mining threatens both our environment and the communities that depend on it. This operation shows that environmental laws will be enforced and those who violate them will be held accountable,” Dela Cruz said.
He said the suspects failed to present any exploration permit or document authorizing them to undertake mining exploration activities in the area, constituting a violation of Section 102 of Republic Act No. 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
Dela Cruz said the arrested suspects and the recovered items were brought to Santa Cruz police for documentation, investigation, and the filing of appropriate charges.