Twelve persons have been arrested for alleged illegal quarrying in Rordriguez, Rizal and more than P36.4 million worth of equipment and crushed gravel and rocks were seized by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
In a statement, the NBI identified those arrested last Oct. 18 as Ericson Cinco, Raul Garcia, Windel Bueno, Pablo Rimorin, Nico Yunapa, Roldan Bonife, Dexter Colas, Jojie Manzanillo, Albert Esto, Fenando Lopez, Rany Caganan, and Danieboy Alejandro.
After their arrest, the NBI said they were charged before the Rizal Office of the Provincial Prosecutor with violations of Section 103 (theft of minerals) of Republic Act No. 9742, the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
It said it also named a certain Jose Allan Cruz as respondent in the charges. The NBI’s statement did not state Cruz’s alleged participation in the “illegal quarrying.”
The NBI said the suspects were arrested by agents of the NBI’s Environmental Crime Division (NBI-EnCD) in an “illegal quarrying site” in Barangay San Isidro in Rodriguez town.
“The operation also resulted in the seizure of 13 units backhoe, 3 units bulldozer, 1 unit drill rig, 6 units dump truck, 6 units conveyor belts, 40 cubic meters of manufactured sand and 9,000 cubic meters of extracted/liberated aggregates with a total estimated value of P36,465,000,” it said.
“A certification issued by DENR-MGB (Department of Environment and Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau) on Oct. 12, 2021 states that there was no valid and existing Mineral Production Sharing Agreement or Industrial Sand and Gravel Permit that was issued for the extraction of materials in relation to the sanitary landfill project in the Municipality Rodriguez, Rizal,” it noted.
“The certification also states that based on the data provided by the Provincial Mining Regulator Board of Rizal, as of 2nd Quarter of 2021, no valid and existing Quarry Permit, Industrial Sand and Gravel, Small Scale Mining Contract or Special Permit to Transport and Dispose was issued in relation to the sanitary landfill project in the said municipality,” it added.