EDITORIAL - Looking the other way

To mine black sand, package it properly and then ship it to foreign destinations, one needs heavy machinery and a lot of personnel. This kind of operation cannot be kept secret from any community at the grassroots, where the barangay system is supposed to be in place. If black sand mining proliferates, it can only be because people tasked to stop the illegal activity prefer to look the other way.

Black sand, which is used for steel making and may contain trace rare minerals, is common in countries within the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. Its abundance in this country, however, does not mean unfettered extraction and export of black sand.

That’s what certain groups have tried to do, often with success, as they take advantage of lax enforcement of mining regulations. Around the country, numerous raids have been conducted on illegal black sand mining operations, but the activity continues. Last week 14 Chinese nationals were arrested in a raid on a mining site in Camarines Norte, where authorities reported confiscating P12 million worth of minerals as well as heavy equipment and motor vehicles. The arrest came on the heels of raids on three Chinese-operated sites in Aparri, Cagayan.

In Labo town, Camarines Norte, the raiders reported seizing 500 metric tons of black sand, iron, copper, silver and gold, together with seven backhoes, several bulldozers and three sport utility vehicles.

The National Bureau of Investigation, whose agents were part of the raiding team, is looking into reports of collusion in illegal black sand mining by certain local government officials. This is a plausible story. How can anyone operate seven backhoes without the knowledge of local officials? If they are unaware, they deserve to be slapped with administrative charges for incompetence and negligence.

Residents have complained that illegal mining has aggravated flooding and landslides in their communities. Those natural calamities often turn deadly. People who profit from such tragedies must be stopped and the fruits of their illegal activity confiscated.