Cagayan de Oro’s environment office chief points to a nearby Misamis Oriental town as the site of Chinese-led mining operations.
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Despite a 10-year-old Writ of Kalikasan issued by a court to safeguard the Iponan River from illegal mining activities, the fragile ecosystem has tragically transformed into an environmental wasteland, indicating the failure of implementation efforts.
“We are evaluating the damage to the river system. We believe it is much bigger than we had thought,” Gacad told a news conference on Tuesday, May 16.A joint operation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources personnel, National Bureau of Investigation agents, and Army elite Special Forces led to the arrest of five Chinese men and 13 Filipino mining workers in Barangay Pigsag-an, Cagayan de Oro on Saturday, May 13.
Gacad said the wasteland, covering an estimated area of 10.3 hectares, is situated on the borders of Cauyonan and Nangcaon in Opol town, Misamis Oriental.Engineer Armen Cuenca, chief of the Cagayan de Oro Local Environment and Natural Resources Office , said they had monitored at least 10 gold mining excavators along the Iponan River but were unable to arrest any suspect because they were in Opol town.
The Writ of Kalikasan serves as a legal mechanism to protect the environment and hold accountable those responsible for violations or negligence while addressing environmental concerns, and offering relief and protection for natural resources.
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