10 nabbed for black sand, lahar extraction

MANILA, Philippines - Ten foreigners were arrested for allegedly extracting lahar and black sand from a river in Zambales on Sunday. 

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)’s environmental crime division and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) identified the suspects as Chinese Tang Zhining, Liao Nantu, Lin Yichang, Xu Zhibin, Chen Jingwei, Zhou Hongming, Wen Haihu, Yong Wang and Tang Peilong and Indonesian Afrizon Hary. 

Authorities said they were tipped off that the foreigners were extracting minerals from Macolcol River in San Felipe, Zambales without permit. 

The NBI said the foreigners were caught using the dredging vessel SL-D1 in siphoning suspected black sand from the dead river and transferring it to another vessel. 

Authorities seized a vessel which had Chinese characters on its hull, a tugboat and three dumb barges.

Czar Eriq Nuqui, NBI-environmental crime division chief, told reporters yesterday that one of the tugboats came from a company based in Fiji. 

Nuqui said they are studying the liability of two local firms that deployed the vessels to the area.

The MGB said disposition of dredged materials, which consists of magnified sand, silica and other minerals, is a violation of the country’s mining law.