by Vency D. Bulayungan

Aguinaldo, Ifugao (21 February) -- Police officers and barangay officials thwarted an illegal mining operations at Barangay Halag here that could affect the Magat Hydro Power Plant.

Police Provincial Director PSSupt Joseph Adnol, in his report stated that the Aguinaldo police together with barangay officials and tanods checked recently on the alleged mining activities at Sitio Munkihal in said barangay and discovered four tunnels.

Led by PINSP Daniel Kinakin, the team found out that the miners were taking out rock particles believed to contain gold ores which they bring to a milling station about three kilometers east of the tunnel with the use of a carabao.

The report stated that the rock extracts were being grinded by six persons identified as Martin Bullanan, Orly Bumangit, Arsenio Paluging, Pacio Bangaden, Nalo Paluging and Edwin Sawali. The operating team further discovered that the owner of the milling machine was identified to be a certain Jun Dog-e.

n a dialogue, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) explained that with or without permit to operate, mining is prohibited since the site is within the critical watershed area and such activity could endanger the life span of the Magat Hydro Electric Power Plant due to silting and earth movement due to blasting.