DASOL, Pangasinan -- A task force of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Ilocos, backed up by the local police, intercepted 12 ten-wheeler trucks loaded with illegally extracted mineral ores totaling 3,000 metric tons Thursday, September 1.
The task force, personally led by DENR Regional Director Paquito Moreno Jr., assisted by the Dasol police led by Senior Inspector Dennis Cabigat intercepted the trucks in Barangay Poblacion while on their way to Barangay Barlo here, all the way from Cordon Isabela.
Cabigat said the truck drivers immediately stopped and made no resistance when they were flagged down by policemen who were then simultaneously conducting operation "Tokhang" (toktok hangyo).
The DENR, the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement joining forces to combat environmental crimes.
One of the drivers, who requested not to be named, said they would be paid P1,000 each after delivering the mineral ores to a processing plant in Barlo, Dasol.
Dasol Mayor Eric Versoza hailed the DENR task force for apprehending the 12 trucks, saying “these heavy trucks have been causing destruction to our municipal roads.”
Moreno said the 3,000 metric tons of mineral ores were extracted from Cordon, Isabela and were being transported to Barangay Barlo for processing.
The shippers presented ore transport permit (OTP) dated August 24, 2016 that is due to expire on September 23, bearing the signatures of Noel Manuel Lopez, provincial administrator of Isabela, and Geronimo Cabbacan Jr., environment and natural resources officer.
It appears the OTP emanated from the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board Office of Isabela, issued in favor of Golden Summit Mining Corporation.
However, Director Moreno maintained that the OTP is spurious, saying that Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Cagayan Valley Director Mario Ancheta informed him that “all small-scale mining operations in the Province of Isabela have been suspended.”
Moreno said DENR Ilocos personnel have been dispatched to coordinate with the Provincial Government of Isabela to verify the veracity of the OTP.
Meanwhile, Renato Rimando, Engineer 5 of the MGB Ilocos, said the OTP appears valid on its face but there is inconsistency between the commodity indicated in the document and the actual cargo of the apprehended trucks.
“Assuming that the OTP is valid, the commodity therein indicated is mine tailings and waste materials but upon random grab sampling, we discovered that the trucks are actually loaded with freshly broken mineralized rocks and ores,” said Rimando.
Rimando said the permittee committed “misdeclaration” of commodity impelling the apprehension of the trucks loaded with mineral ores.
MGB Ilocos, headed by officer-in-charge regional director Carlos Tayag, seized and took custody of the 12 trucks, which are currently under the watch of the Dasol Police Office for safekeeping.
A confiscation hearing will be conducted on September 5 to determine whether the mineral ores, including the tools, equipment and the 12 trucks, will be confiscated in favor of the government.
Criminal charges for theft of minerals are also set to be filed on September 5 against the officers of Golden Summit Mining Corp. along with the truck drivers and helpers with the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Pangasinan. (PNA)