CONTRA ESPINO SOPA

BAYAMBANG—While the governor here was delivering his state of the province address Wednesday in Lingayen town, some 500 protesters trooped to the Bayambang Central School to denounce the illegal quarrying, black sand mining, exorbitant tax increase and huge loans under the Espino administration.

Filipinas Alcantara, president of the Parents-Teachers Association in Bayambang Central School assailed Espino’s administration for the transfer of the school site from Poblacion to a new site in Barangay Bical allegedly to pave the way for a land swap deal allegedly at the behest of the governor.

Placard-bearing protesters assemble at the Bayambang Central School. (Punchphoto by Tita Roces)

Gabaldon buildings in the old school were burned under suspicious circumstances in 2013, Alcantara said.

Meanwhile, Sol Salamat from Bugallon town, the governor’s adoptive town, read a statement denouncing the yearly flooding and flashflood in some barangays caused by destructive quarrying when Jemuel Espino, the governor’s youngest son, became the town mayor, the statement said.

The protesters accused the governor of conflict of interest when he reportedly put up a crushing plant of stones and batching plant of asphalt right at the site of quarry in Barangay Hacienda, Bugallon. The provincial government buys asphalt, sand and gravel from the plant.

The group claimed the town and barangay never received their share of the quarrying for two years as mandated by RA 7946, and there are no records to show that the provincial government received its share too.

They also blamed quarrying operation for the death of five children due to drowning who went swimming in a creek in Barangay Hacienda where quarrying was proceeding.

The PUNCH tried to get the governor’s reactions through Provincial Information Officer Orpheus Velasco but efforts proved futile. (Tita Roces)

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