Caraga: Authorities have arrested a total of 35 illegal miners, including four Chinese nationals, during a series of joint operations in the Caraga Region as of late January 2026. The arrests, conducted by Police Regional Office-Caraga (PRO-13) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-13), also resulted in the seizure of six vehicles and eight motorcycles utilized for unauthorized mining activities. To sustain this momentum, officials from both agencies held a coordination meeting Tuesday to further intensify monitoring and intelligence gathering.
According to Philippines News Agency, the coordination meeting focused on the need to intensify monitoring, strengthen intelligence gathering, and sustain the joint law enforcement operations in the region, as stated by Major Jennifer Omiter, PRO-13 information office chief, during an interview Wednesday. PRO-13 chief Brig. Gen. Marcial Mariano Magistrado IV and DENR-13 Regional Executive Director Maritess Ocampo led the meeting. This move comes after a busy 2025, where 12 regional operations led to 43 arrests, including 12 Chinese and four Korean nationals.
The most recent enforcement action took place on Feb. 5 in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, where five individuals, including two Chinese nationals, were apprehended. Cases for violating Republic Act 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, were filed against the suspects on Feb. 9. Magistrado emphasized the collective responsibility of residents to help safeguard the region's natural resources.
