BUGALLON– The barangay chairman of Portic this town flatly denied issuing a permit for the operation of a piggery farm in the barangay that turned out to be a factory manufacturing fake cigarettes, saying the authority to issue permits lies with the municipal government.

Barangay Captain Edilberto Orduña refuted the allegation made by Mayor Jumel Espino that it was he who gave permit for the establishment of a piggery during a press conference he and  Rep. Amado Espino Jr.and Gov. Amado Espino III, mayor’s father and brother respectively, held last week.

Mayor Espino told the media last week that he was unaware about the existence of the fake cigarettes factory, adding that as far as he could recall, he has not issued any permit to the piggery that turned out to be a front for a factory of fake cigarettes.

Orduña said the barangay council only gave a resolution, not a permit, endorsing the operation of a piggery which was a requirement for the issuance of the Environmental Compliance Certificate and to be forwarded to the Sangguniang Bayan’s consideration for a committee hearing and approval.

Orduña said the barangay council only gave the endorsement after the piggery owner, listed as Danilo Calugay, brother of Dong Calugay whose name was written in the mission order for the NBI-BIR raid, agreed to transfer the piggery’s previous location after residents complained.

Since then, he said they have not entered the area and were therefore surprised when the NBI and BIR teams raided the area.

A BIR official said they learned about the operation of fake cigarettes factory in Portic, Bugallon after a store in Sta. Barbara town was found selling cigarettes with counterfeit stamps.

Orduña said if the local government, as claimed by Mayor Jumel Espino, did not issue a permit for the piggery which is just a kilometer away from his residence, he asked:  “Then why didn’t he close it?”

He added that barangay officials are seeking a thorough investigation to ferret out who is behind its operation.

Former Mayor Rodrigo Orduña, brother of the barangay captain, doubted the financial capability of Calugay to put up billion pesos worth cigarette factory as he was merely a retired Police Officer 1.

The former mayor wondered why the Espinos did not condemn the factory, “instead, it’s as if they are lawyering for ex-PO1 Dong Calugay,” he added.

He said the grant for a business permit is not within the authority of the barangay council but the municipal government.

He said they are not accusing the Espinos “but why are they defensive… hindi ko maintindihan kung ano ang ipinagpuputok ng butsi nila,” he added. (Philstar News Service/Nora Dominguez)

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