MAITUM, Sarangani (MindaNews/21 March)—A squad of soldiers was deployed Sunday deep in the mountains as an advance unit for the setting up of a government detachment to curb the rampant illegal small-scale gold mining activities here.
MindaNews trekked
with the soldiers for four-and-a-half hours, including pit stops for rest, to reach Sitio Kaffugan in Barangay New La Union, and found mostly abandoned makeshift camps as mine workers scampered to the woods for fear of getting arrested.
Large fallen trees and stockpiles o
f timber were seen in the mine site.
The Sarangani provincial peace and order council has resolved to set up a joint military and police detachment here to stop illegal mining activities, said 1st Lieutenant Rio Antony Gammad, Charlie Company commander of the 73nd Infantry Battalion.[]/a> with |||
MindaNews called “Banacon” twice but the other end did not answer.
But another phone number she provided, the one she supposedly owned that Banacon claimed was used to call Malacanang to “destroy our unit”, was answered by a male voice who claimed she did not know Palma Gil.
The line was then cut off by the man.
Palma Gil does not own that second number. (Bong Sarmiento/MindaNews)
