Illegal mining in Aguilar discovered, stopped
AGUILAR— Swift action by the local government saved this town from a potential environmental disaster.
The timely intervention of the town’s mayor stopped the illegal copper mining activity in Barangay Manlocboc and prevented further wanton destruction of the town’s farmlands.
Mayor Eduardo Ballesteros said he stopped the small mining activity after farmers reported the dumping of silt by the mining prospectors on their farms.
The local government had verified that the mining activity did not have the permit from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
The group of unidentified foreigners has since abandoned the area where they have been extracting what is suspected to be copper.
Affected farmers from the barangays of Manlocboc, Poblacion and Baybay have petitioned Ballesteros’ office to stop the project after silt were dumped on their farmlands.
About 150 truckloads of sand have been hauled to an isolated area some of which are owned by the government.
Ballesteros said he received information about an illegal mining in Bugallon town only to find out that it was in the border barangay of Aguilar. (Tita Roces)
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