Illegal Mining In Opol Town Stopped

By Mona Lagbas

October 1,2025, Misamis Oriental _Illegal mining operations at the Dulangan Ancestral Domain in Barangay Limunda in the municipality of Opol, Misamis Oriental have been stopped.

More than a hundred and fifty tunnels and several bunkhouses, including five ball mills, were discovered by authorities when they swooped down on the area but no persons were apprehended during the raid.

A task force deployed by the local government unit of Opol reported that only sacks of extracted materials were left behind and were expected to be processed using ball mills.

An application for a Minahan Ng Bayan or MNB permit in the area is now pending at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Misamis Oriental. Governor Juliette Uy is proposing to legalize all mining operations, small or large scale, legal or illegal, to be legalized for the mutual benefit of communities and investors alike, and to generate additional revenues for the province’s coffers.

For his part, Opol mayor Jay Francis Bago insists that all mining activities in the area have to be stopped until proper legislation for a Minahan Ng Bayan has been enacted. Mayor Bago refused to comment further when local media practitioners pressed him for details as local chief executive under the doctrine of command responsibility.