Itogon mayor: More police needed for crackdown on mines

Itogon, Benguet Mayor Victorio Palangdan on Saturday said the town will need an additional number of police officers to enforce the government's crackdown on illegal small-scale mining operations.

Following a deadly landslide in Itogon that killed at least 41 people during Typhoon Ompong's onslaught last Saturday, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu told small-scale miners to cooperate with the government and stop all small-scale mining activities in the Cordillera Autonomous Region during a briefing at the Benguet Capitol on Monday.

Cimatu had said the military and police will be tapped to implement the cease and desist order against illegal mining in the region

Palangdan told Super Radyo dzBB on Saturday that the LGU was willing to enforce order but they had yet to receive an official document.

"Wala pong official na documentary na ibinigay po sa amin kundi ang statement ni Secretary Cimatu sa kapitolyo noong Lunes po," he said.

Pangaldan said an additional number of police officers will be needed to implement the order in Itogon, which is primarily a mining town.

"In my capacity as municipal mayor, kakaunti lang po ang pulis ko dito. Hindi namin kayang ipa-hinto. Malaki po ang small-scale mining dito," he said.

"Dalawa lang ang barangay na hindi mining area dito sa aming bayan," he added.

Pangaldan said the matter was taken up during a conference with the regional and provincial police on Saturday.

"Kung ipapatupad ko po 'yung order ni Secretary, kulang po ang kapulisan namin dito, so we are having now a conference with the regional director and the provincial director so that anytime that the secretary will issue an order to them, we will implement it immediately," he said.

The Itogon mayor said during the conference, they went over measures that would be taken in case the cyclone in the Pacific Ocean enters Philippine area of responsibility this weekend as tropical storm "Paeng." — Margaret Claire Layug/MDM, GMA News