DENR-7 probes status of lands at gold mining sites

DUMAGUETE CITY ,Philippines  – The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office II (CENRO) of the DENR in Negros Oriental is verifying the current status of lands where illegal gold diggings and excavations are being reported to determine whether these are owned by government or private individuals.

CENRO II chief Mario Aragon recently disclosed that he sent two of his men to the remote area of sitio Catipon in Barangay Bonawon, Siaton town of Negros Oriental to conduct a location survey through the global positioning system to determine the exact coordinates of the quarry sites.

Aragon said his personal belief was that Catipon was generally a public land, and even if there are people claiming ownership to the areas being mined can present pertinent documents, his office would still be making the necessary recommendations to the Cebu City-based DENR-7 about the illegal quarry operations in that sitio.

Initial reports said members of the Kirit family own the adjacent lands in purok Botong of Catipon where illegal quarrying of sand and gravel, excavation, digging of open pits and building of underground tunnels have been reported in the past days.

Surface and underground mining for gold and gold panning at a stream nearby have caught media attention just this week after local government authorities conducted ocular inspections at the site to determine the extent of the quarrying that many were saying are now at high risk of collapse.

Several accounts are now circulating of many people making money, running to as much as millions of pesos for some, and lesser for others who were not as lucky to get as much gold dust and nuggets, for the past few years.

Those who have reportedly earned money from the gold extraction activities are keeping mum about it, apparently for fear of being sanctioned after learning the activity was declared illegal.

The Negros Oriental provincial government and the Siaton municipal government had ordered the suspension of quarrying activities at Catipon and have deployed security personnel there to ensure that no lives would be placed at risk while efforts are now underway to discuss measures on how to stop the quarrying.

The Siaton Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had reported that Catipon was rated a high risk area for landslides.