FORT RAMON MAGSAYSAY, Palayan City – A ranking military official vowed to look deeper into the alleged illegal mining activities within this vast military reservation amid reports that huge gold deposits and other mineral resources in its mountainous parts can be tapped for the modernization of the armed forces.
Brig. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, newly installed commander of the 7th Infantry Division, said that all mining operations within his unit’s area of responsibility were stopped during the stewardship of his predecessor, now Northern Luzon Command chief, Major Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang.
“I still have to look into it,” Iriberri said when asked about the supposed presence of gold deposits that were valued at some P80-billion by some mining experts.
The military reportedly employed the help of three unspecified mining experts to make an assessment of mining potentials in the 44,970-hectare military reservation. The reservation shrunk from its original 73,000 has defined in Presidential Proclamation No. 237 dated Dec. 19, 1955 because of the series of succeeding presidential proclamations and an executive order that designated portions to housing, parks, forest reserve, farm and other purposes.
Catapang made the move after discovering small- to large-scale illegal mining in different sections of the reservation, some of which even used heavy equipment.
Besides gold, the reservation was found to be rich in feldspar and talc, the study showed.
“What we know is merong mga nag-i-illegal mining dito sa military reservation. What the 7th infantry division is doing is to stop (them),” Iriberri said.
Their main priority, Iriberri said, is to protect Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation from illegal settlers, illegal mining, illegal quarrying and illegal logging. This, he added, will be made through the Task Force Sagip Likas Yaman (TFSLY), an existing collaboration among government security agents, local governments, church, non-government organizations and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Reports gathered showed that illegal gold mining or panning had been rampant in several areas, including Antipas River located between Barangays Calabasa and Ligaya in Gabaldon, Talictic Creek Channel passing through Sitrion Kabalugaan, in Barangays Langka and Doña Josefa (Palayan City) and Barangay Palale, Gen. Tinio; between Bagong Buhay River and Barangay Doña Josefa, Palayan City; Sitio Pag-asa, Barangay Mapalad, Sta. Rosa and Sitio Sinalbakan, San Isidro, Laur; all in Nueva Ecija.
Manganese ore, on the other hand, were extracted from Sitio Kulo-kulo, Barangay Bugnan, Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija and in Sitio Libuawin, Barangay Matawe, Dingalan, Aurora.
Illegal miners also used to extract feldspar in Sitio Macalao, Barangay San Felipe and talc mineral in Sitio Tabuk, Barangay San Isidro, both in Laur, Nueva Ecija.
Records showed different teams of soldiers were sent to those areas as early as March this year to close mining operations.
Iriberri said the military will be “transparent and open to all” when it decides to utilize the mineral resources.
The income, he said, will be utilized in the modernization of the armed forces.
But the main priority for now, he said, is to have all illegal miners stopped.
