Theft of Minerals.
Section 78
SEC. 78. Theft of Minerals. - Any person who, without a mining lease or a temporary permit to mine, shall extract, remove, and/or dispose of minerals for commercial purposes belonging to the Government or from a mining claim or claims leased, held, or owned by other persons, without the written permission contemplated in Section 12, shall be deemed to have stolen the ores or the products thereof from the mines or mills. He shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned from six months to six years or pay a fine from one hundred pesos to ten thousand pesos, or both, in the discretion of the court, besides paying compensation for the minerals extracted and disposed of, the royalty and the damage caused thereby.