Authorities seized a wing van carrying 24 metric tons of suspected illegally sourced mineral ore in Sindangan after receiving a tip about the shipment near the boundary with Siayan, officials said Thursday.
The blue-and-white wing van, with plate number CDF 8392, was intercepted at about 10:45 a.m. Oct. 29 in Barangay Ramon Magsaysay, near the Siayan Welcome Arc, during an operation involving personnel from the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, the Office of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer and the Philippine National Police.
Martino Magallanes Jr., a deputized personnel of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, led the operation with Forest Ranger Jimmy Anseling of MENRO-Sindangan, Reglin Ayson of the provincial environment office and police personnel.
Magallanes said he received what he described as A1 information from a friend who witnessed the loading of sacks of mineral ore near the Siayan-Sindangan boundary.
When authorities stopped the vehicle and asked its driver about the cargo, he initially said it contained soil. However, after agreeing to open the unsеaled cargo compartment, the driver allowed authorities to inspect the shipment, leading to the discovery of the mineral ore.
The vehicle was taken to the Sindangan Police Station, where authorities conducted an inspection and inventory with representatives from the MGB, MENRO and the provincial environment office.
The inventory listed 481 sacks weighing an estimated 50 kilograms each, for a total of approximately 24,050 kilograms, or 24.05 metric tons.
Authorities estimated the mineral ore’s value at ₱1,202,500 and the wing van at ₱1.75 million. They said the shipment had no legal transport documents and was believed to have been illegally sourced.
Following the inventory, authorities sealed the cargo and issued a seizure receipt as part of the procedure for confiscating mineral shipments suspected of being illegally transported.
The wing van is owned by C.M. Anao Transport Services, based in Woodland, Malanday, Valenzuela City.
The driver, Ganie Fundador Zamora, 56, of Baesa, Quezon City, and trip-in-charge Jonel Cantora Malanyaon, 29, of Meycauayan, Bulacan, were identified as the personnel responsible for the vehicle’s trip.
Zamora told authorities that they were transporting the shipment as a backload through an agent after helping retrieve the cargo from an original transport vehicle that had reportedly broken down.
The seizure came amid a series of interceptions involving suspected illegally sourced mineral ore in the province.
On Sept. 24, authorities seized three wing vans carrying 1,581 sacks of suspected illegally sourced mineral ore at Dipolog City Port. Four days later, another wing van carrying 505 sacks was intercepted at Pulauan Wharf in Dapitan City.
Following the successive discoveries, authorities said they had intensified monitoring at the province’s entry and exit points to prevent similar shipments from passing through. (with report from Zamboanga del Norte Provincial News Network)
About The Author
