The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is pressing for stronger collaboration with local government units (LGUs) to amplify the monitoring of mining activities, following the arrest of suspected illegal foreign miners in Paracale, Camarines Norte.
Manila Standard reported that these miners were allegedly harvesting uranium, causing DENR Assistant Secretary Rochelle Gamboa to point out the importance of local government assistance in regulating mining sites due to the DENR’s limited workforce.
Gamboa said that the DENR alone cannot manage all the country’s mining sites on its own and urged the public, media, and local authorities to report illegal small-scale mining operations.
She also mentioned that the DENR is actively coordinating with law enforcement to file charges in the Paracale case and is evaluating the implementation of more stringent mining permit requirements.
LGUs, Gamboa said, will play a critical role in ensuring environmental compliance and the responsible execution of mining projects.
This move came after DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga recently indicated the possibility of tightening regulations on mining permits to safeguard the environment.
