Espino lashes out at political enemies
SOPA SIDE ISSUE
LINGAYEN— Another lie!
A visibly angry Gov. Amado Espino Jr. underscored this before a surprised audience at the start of the delivery of his prepared State of the Province Address, bewailing a news report in a national daily that he said intended to continue embarrassing him over an alleged black mining issue him.
“There is no black mining in Pangasinan,” the governor intoned.
He lashed back at his political detractors and accused them of continuously plotting to discredit his administration’s projects alleging illegal activities under his watch, particularly, alleged black sand mining in the eco-tourism area in Lingayen.
Espino said a certain Rolando Rea filed another complaint with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and asked that the three-kilometer perimeter fence in the eco-tourism zone be torn down because it is allegedly being used to cover the magnetite sand mining activity in the area.
“This is another lie,” he said.
The governor pointed out that all the original complainants had already retracted their statements after realizing that there was no mining in the area and only one, Rolando Rea, remained in spite of the issuance of an environmental compliance certificate by the DENR.
He also acknowledged the presence of the original complainants in the audience.
After his SOPA, the governor invited the audience to watch a video tape of the original complainants accusing a former congressman to be behind the latest news in some major dailies on the black mining issue.
The tape was played and one of the complainants-turned-defender of the governor appeared in the VTR claiming the perimeter fence was for security purposes.
Vicente Oliquino, president of the anti-mining group Aro Mo Ako Sambayanan (Aromas), the complainant in the Lingayen black sand (magnetite sand) case against the provincial governor and several others filed before the Ombudsman, also refuted Rea’s claim and said there are a number of entry points to the coastal areas. (Tita Roces/Johanne Macob)
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