The barangay captain of Cabungahan has urged an immediate halt to illegal, small-scale mining activities in sitio Macacao somewhere between San Andres and Caramoran towns, citing environmental degradation of the surrounding forest.
In a social media post of photos he took of the area where seven gold miners were apprehended by personnel of the San Andres Municipal Police Station last Sept. 28, 2026, Chairman Christian Bendecio said he personally saw for himself that despite the fact that someone had already died, individuals continue the illegal activity.
The photographs the barangay official took showed cut and fallen trees, several hundred square meters of forest land devoid of vegetation, and numerous holes dug into the ground at the foot of big boulders and trees.
He said they walked four to five hours just to reach Macacao, the exact of location of which authorities have yet to pinpoint whether it is in San Andres or Caramoran.
Bendecio stated that poverty is not a reason to gamble with the lives and future of one’s children.
He added that it is not important to argue about the sitio’s location and that what is needed is for everyone to assist in stopping illegal mining and offer alternative livelihood to those engaged in the prohibited activity.
The other Monday (Sept. 28), joint elements of San Andres MPS led by PCpl Jomin Binamira, together with personnel Catanduanes 1st Police Mobile Force Company led by PLt. Steven Marcial Bangayan, conducted intelligence monitoring in a forested area approximately four kilometers from the barangay hall of Cabungahan.
At the area, they chanced upon seven individuals in the act of conducting small scale illegal mining activities.
The police confiscated from their possession six pieces each of shovels, digging bars and flashlights; five pairs of hand gloves, three wooden pans, three wooden horizontal sluice box separators, a bolo, eye goggles, an empty plastic bottle and another bottle containing about 0.5 gram of suspected gold.
According to the police, the mining tools and paraphernalia have an estimated total value of ₱4,500.00 while the half gram of gold has an estimated value of P800.00.
A source had knowledge of the report named those arrested as Roy Nuñez, 43, Melchor Manlangit, 44, Jonathan Pia, 40, Melvin Jay Manlangit, 31, Romnick Pantila, 34, Cris John Alano, 20, and Bryan Ibo, 30, who are all from Caramoran, except for Nuñez who reportedly hails from Camarines Sur.