Illegal Mining Raid in Surigao del Sur Sparks Coordination Dispute

What the Task Force Seized

The operation on June 27 and 28 covered the boundary of Barangays Bahi and Mamis. Police and personnel from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the Caraga region arrested three men from Tagbina town, aged about 33, 34, and 45, and seized a Volvo backhoe valued at around P7 million.

Officers also took water pumps, chainsaws, hoses, gold pans, and soil believed to hold gold, putting the total value past P7.1 million. The three could not show permits, and they were held at the Barobo municipal police station to face charges under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

The backhoe alone made up most of the value of the haul. Officers pulled the machine and the smaller gear out of the forest clearing where the digging had taken place.

The Coordination Dispute

Mayor Ronnie Martizano called the raid disgusting for going ahead without word to the town government. He said he could not give a full statement at once because he was attending to his wife, who was in a hospital in Davao City.

Municipal environment officer Danilo Joseph Galigao said the town learned of the operation only while it was underway. The local police chief, Major Andrew Lupian, said his station was also told only after the raid had started.

Martizano said the town had been working with the mining bureau on rules for the area and expected to be told before any enforcement. He questioned why outside teams moved in without alerting local officials, and asked that future operations coordinate with the municipal government.

Claims and Denials

A mine worker said members of the raiding team took cash, mobile phones, and gold from people at the site. Major Michael John Sentinta, who led one of the units, denied any wrongdoing and said the operation was properly coordinated with the agencies involved.

Galigao rejected separate online claims that the mayor received a share from illegal mining, calling them baseless and political. He said town officials had agreed to allow only traditional panning by hand and to bar the use of backhoes while Barobo waits for a mining permit.

Part of a Wider Caraga Crackdown

Brigadier General Marcial Magistrado IV, the regional police director, said the raid was part of a broader campaign against illegal mining in Caraga. Police have reported more than 60 arrests across the region in the first months of 2026.

In April, agents raided sites along the Carac-an River in Cantilan and arrested eleven people, nine of them Chinese, seizing about P50.5 million in equipment. The suspects were held for inquest on charges under the Mining Act, the protected areas law, and the Chainsaw Act.

In February, a raid in Barangay Guinhalinan in Barobo led to five arrests, two of them foreigners, and the seizure of three excavators, a pickup truck, and a Starlink internet set.

Officials in nearby Hinatuan have warned that silt and waste from mining upstream threaten the Enchanted River, a deep spring known for its striking blue water and a top draw for tourists. Local leaders have asked mining crews to stay clear of its watershed.

A Town Split Over Gold

Martizano has allowed panning by hand as a source of income while Barobo seeks approval of a Minahang Bayan, a people's mining area that would let residents dig under set rules. He has opposed large operations that use heavy machines near rivers and has pushed for tighter rules on who can dig and how.

On February 3 the mayor survived an ambush in Barangay Dughan that he linked to his stand on mining. Gunmen blocked his van and wounded him and his army escort, Private First Class Khevin Mark Claridad of the 67th Infantry Battalion, days after he oversaw the dismantling of an illegal mining tunnel.