A gold mining site allegedly operating illegally in Lagonoy town, Camarines Sur, was shut down by police and military on Tuesday.
The Joint Task Force Bicolandia said in a statement that about 200 mining shafts, 10 water pumps and generator sets were confiscated from the small-scale mining site in Sitio Pagsimbugan in Barangay Mapid, after being tipped off about the site, which allegedly operated without permit.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said besides the absence of a mining license, operators of the mine also violated Section 103 of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, specifically mineral theft.
The agency collected a sample from the site to verify if gold was really sourced from the area.
Police Brig. Gen. Bartolome Bustamante, director of Police Regional Office 5, said his office will implement a cease and desist order.
Authorities alleged that a communist terrorist group at the helm of the mining operation was also behind illegal logging activities in the area, citing the lumber seen at the mine.
Bustamante did not specify further.
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