CEBU CITY — Gearing to improve its performance in the campaign against the violators of environment laws, the Region 7 Office of the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB) is set to sign a joint Memorandum of Agreement MoA with the Central Command, Police Regional Office 7 and the National Bureau of Investigation 7.

MGB7 Regional Director Roger A. de Dios reiterated that since 2009 is declared as “environmental law enforcement year” by Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza, Jr, with emphasis on addressing the problem on illegal quarrying and mining operations, the Regional Minerals Development Council 7 has also made interventions to help solve the problem.

“With the said declaration, DENR is serious in curbing illegal activities that highly concerns the environment, as it is also our way of helping reduce the ill effects of calamities like landslide and floods,” he said.

Further, De Dios added that the effects of illegal mining or quarrying operations include revenue loss, environmentally unsound practices, unsystematic and unsafe operations, and abandoned mined-out areas.

For this year MGB7 has made 39 apprehensions of illegal quarrying and mining activities in the course of its unannounced inspections and check points, while last year it was also able to apprehend 42 illegal operations.

“Most of the apprehensions were made in the Talamban district of this city, while others were effected in the cities of Talisay, Mandaue, Toledo, and Dumageute,” de Dios explained.