Illegal mining site in Iligan City raided

Water pumps are among the equipment seized during the raid. Photo courtesy of CENRO Iligan

ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 22 August 2026) – Three individuals working at an illegal mining site in Sitio Binasan, Barangay Rogongon in Iligan City were arrested during a joint law enforcement operation Wednesday.

Major Jhon Paul Abang, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Iligan Field Unit, said there were around 100 workers but only a few operatives, allowing most of the workers to escape arrest.

Two backhoes, one fire hose, two blue plastic hoses, one billing pan, one improvised separator, eight water pumps of various brands, and one-half sack of suspected mineral ores were confiscated during the raid, Noe  Calipusan, acting chief of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office said in a phone interview Friday.

Calipusan said he monitored the operation since their office is the lead agency of Oplan Kalikasan.

Abang said the backhoes along with the other seized items were brought to the City Engineer’s Office compound in Palao for safekeeping.

In a phone interview Friday, City Mayor Frederick Siao said they received reports that illegal miners who were driven away from Limunda, Opol, Misamis Oriental have transferred their operations to Binasan.

Siao said the financiers of these illegal miners are from Davao City and are well-armed.

Also on Friday, Rogongon barangay chair Ronaldo Soong said in a phone interview that the illegal mining operations took place near the boundary of Iponan River in Misamis Oriental and Iligan.

Soong said the barangay was not informed about the raid. Otherwise, he said, they could have joined it.

Abang confirmed there was no representative from the barangay council who joined the raid.

Meanwhile, the suspected illegal miners have undergone inquest proceedings. (Richel V. Umel/MindaNews)