DOE stops Argao coal mining

A small-scale coal mining operation was closed down by the Department of Energy yesterday for lack of a permit.

DOE Visayas Director Antonio Labios said the “freelance” enterprise in barangay Cansuje, Argao town in south Cebu was ordered shut down.

“Their operation was very blatant. We asked them several times to stop operating but they did not comply,” Labios said.

He said the miners, led by Hilario Vasquez, were workers from MG Exploration, which closed down last June.

In a meeting with the miners in September 2011, they agreed to halt operation until a permit is issued by the DOE, but the group of Vasquez continued operation despite a cease and desist order issued late last year.

“They violated the order because they continued to operate without a permit. We held their application and we got the order from Manila that their permit won’t be approved because of their continued defiance,” Labios said. /Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter