LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Two men suspected of illegal mining were arrested in Barangay Palanas in Paracale, Camarines Norte Saturday afternoon.
Senior Superintendent Jose Lipa Capinpin, Camarines Norte police director, identified the small-scale miners as Gerry Murillo, 40, a resident of Barangay Palanas and Archie Jerusalem, 32, of Barangay Calero in Jose Panganiban town.
Various mining equipment, including a compressor, air tank and diving masks were recovered from the suspects.
Rommel Pestaño, regional technical director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Bicol, ordered the closure of small-scale mining operations in the area, including the demolition of at least seven mining shafts in Sitio Bulaay.
Three miners drowned in a recent landslide in the area.