The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office II of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Negros Oriental is verifying the status of lands where illegal gold digging and excavation are have been reported, to determine if they are owned by government or by private individuals.
CENRO II chief Mario Aragon said he has sent two of his men to Catipon in Barangay Bonawon, Siaton in Negros Oriental to conduct a survey through the Global Positioning System.
Aragon said he believes that Catipon is generally a public land. However, even if individuals claiming ownership can present pertinent documents, his office would still make the necessary recommendations to the DENR regional office in Cebu City regarding on illegal quarry operations in Catipon.
Reports say that members of the Kirit family own the adjacent lands in Purok Botong of Sitio Catipon where illegal quarrying of sand and gravel, excavation, digging of open pits and building of underground tunnels have been reported recently.
Surface and underground mining for gold, and gold panning at a stream nearby have caught media attention after local governments conducted ocular inspections to determine the extent of the quarrying at the site that some are says are now at high risk of collapse.
The Negros Oriental provincial government and Siaton officials had ordered the suspension of the quarrying activities in Catipon and have deployed security personnel there .
The Siaton Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has reported that Catipon was rated a high risk area for landslides.*JFP
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