Zambo Sur mayor tags police officer in illegal mining operation

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines— A Zamboanga del Sur town mayor has named a high-ranking regional police official as being one of several people behind an illegal mining operation in the hinterlands of Dumingag town.

Dumingag Mayor Nacianceno Pacalioga Jr. said Chief Insp. Prudencio Enojo Jr., deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in western Mindanao, personally claimed ownership of a truckload of sludge that the authorities seized on Nov. 10.

Enojo, he said, went to see him on Nov. 16 and negotiated for the release of the truck and its load.

“He appeared with his wife and owned the seized cargo as if to stress why it needed to be released the soonest,” Pacalioga said.

Enojo told the Inquirer by phone he was open to any official probe by the Philippine National Police so he could clear his name.

He said it was his wife, Nieves, who is actually involved in buying sludge from small-scale miners.

Chief Supt. Elpidio de Asis, Western Mindanao police chief, said he could take action against Enojo only after a formal complaint has been filed against him.

“So far, there is no complaint,” he said.

Pacalioga said the seizure of the truckload of sludge came after local authorities ascertained that it was not covered by any permit.

The cargo contained mineral ore bound for a processing facility and should have been covered by pertinent permits such as for extraction and transport, he said.

Local officials had declared mining activities in Barangay Licabang in Dumingag illegal as soon as these were discovered in July because of lack of authorization from the provincial board.

Pacalioga said the illegal activity continued unabated “because of armed protection with apparent backing from higher authorities.”

(With a report from Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao)