Black sand stockpile in Lingayen intact
BASIS FOR INDICTMENT QUESTIONED
LINGAYEN—Five days after the Office of the Ombudsman announced that it had indicted Gov. Amado Espino Jr. Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan and 13 others for alleged illegal mining of black sand in this town, the complainant led local newsmen to the site where the stockpile of black sand extracted three years ago to belie the Ombudsman’s claim that it had been sold and exported to China.
In a surprise twist of events, Vicente Oliquino, a councilman of Barangay Sabangan of this capital town who was one of the 13 barangay officials and residents who filed the complaint against Gov. Espino, Baraan et al. maintained that the Ombudsman erred in its finding since the black sand extracted to lay the groundwork for the construction of a golf course never left the site.
Oliquino said since they filed the complaint, they had the mountain of black sand stockpiled in Barangay Malimpuec some two kilometers east of the enclosed project site of the proposed 18-hole golf course and guarded to make sure nobody would come and haul them for export to China or any where else.
The extracted black sand located beside rice fields and fishponds inside the reservation covered by a proclamation issued in 1995 by then President Fidel V. Ramos can be reached via a dirt road.
The stockpile of black sand was found surrounded by empty and rusting container vans to prevent the materials from being eroded into adjacent rice fields and the river just few meters to the east in case of rains. Weeds and crawling plants were seen on some portions of the stockpile.
When asked why there were many container vans in the area, Oloquino surmised these were initially brought in by the mining companies to transport the black sand to the nearest seaport.
But this was thwarted, he said, when they filed the complaint before the Ombudsman that eventually led to the indictment of Espino and other provincial officials.
Indicted with Governor Espino and Baraan were Cynthia Camara and Lolita Bolayog of Alexandra Mining and Oil Ventures Inc. for two counts of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-graft Corrupt Practices Act).
Facing one count of violation of the same law was Bigay and Alexandra Mining directors Cesar Detera, Edwin Alcazar, Denise Ann Sia Kho Po, Annalhn Detera, Glenn Subia and Emiliano Bautista; and Michael Ramirez, Gina Alcazar, and Avery Pujol of Xypher Builders, Inc.
The administrative aspect of the case was dismissed in the case of Governor Espino while Baraan and Bigay were found administratively liable for misconduct and meted out the penalty of dismissal from the service, with accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in the government service.
He said all of the complainants, except one, filed the complaint out of environmental concerns, fearing that removing the black sand from the topsoil would weaken the soil and could cause environmental disaster to their villages.
He admitted that an 18-hole golf course in the proposed Lingayen eco-tourism zone will be a big boon to their villages since it will create economic activities and provide jobs.
The provincial government had maintained there the extraction of the black sand in Barangays Sabangan, Estanza, Capandanan and Malimpuec, Lingayen was necessary to prepare the ground for the construction of an 18-hole golf course. Two big lagoons were initially constructed in the area to form part of the layout of the proposed golf course.
The provincial government said the black sand had to be separated from topsoil otherwise no grass or vegetation needed for the golf course’s fairways will grow on it.
This clarification of the provincial government was subsequently sustained by the Bureau of Mines and Geo-sciences headed by Director Carlos Tayag.
Since the construction of the golf course has been suspended, the ground has virtually turned into a grazing land for some 20 cattle owned by farmers in the area.
Oloquino, however, said although they don’t doubt the intention and plan of the provincial government, he and other complainants still want to be assured that their villages will be safe, hence, their determination to pursue their complaint in order to establish a guarantee that no environmental disaster will result from the extraction of the black sand.
“We are united in our stand to protect the environment except one who joined us for personal interests,” said Oliquino. (LVM)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
