By Mortz C. Ortigoza
LINGAYEN – A former ally
of Governor Amado T. Espino’s gubernatorial rival and his complainant on the
black sand mining here dismissed the series of news reports on national dailies
that he called the Ombudsman to expedite the case against the governor and
other respondents.
Vicente Oliquino, in a
press conference called by the provincial government, said the reports asking
the Ombudsman for “a speedy resolution of the case that they filed in January
2012 since they want a legal precedent that black sand mining cannot be allowed
in the province,” were baseless and not true.
“That black sand issue
is already done. The issue was rehashed. Media men should check how the
provincial government (under Espino) has improved the (economic-tourism) area,
“ Oliquino, president of the anti-mining group Aro Mo Ako Sambayanan (Aromas),
stressed.
Oliquino was a zealous ally of gubernatorial bet Hernani Braganza, former mayor of Alaminos City, in the 2013 election before he started heaping praises to the governor.
Oliquino was a zealous ally of gubernatorial bet Hernani Braganza, former mayor of Alaminos City, in the 2013 election before he started heaping praises to the governor.
He said if he wants to
parrot something on the black sand he would personally calls media men.
“Except from the
reporter of the Philippine Star, I did not call or meet those reporters that
quoted me in the national dailies”.
In March 10 and 11
dailies like Business Mirror, Manila Standard, and other similarly reported the
black sand's brouhaha .
The camp of Governor
Espino suspected that the news reports that were conspicuously written by one
person were hatched to undermine his administration.
“What black sand mining
are they talking about?,” Engr. Alvin Bigay, provincial housing and urban
development coordinating officer, declared to media men in the same press
conference.
“Black sand mining never
happened in Lingayen, Pangasinan,” he added.
Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Director
Carlos Tayag said here that the extraction of the magnetite or black sand was
necessary because turf grass would not grow with its presence in the golf
course area.
“Even the sea walls
(reported by the national news papers) that purportedly built to protect the
continues operation of black sand was non-existence after I asked my men to
verify it this morning ,” he stressed.
Oliquino said that
although the resolution of the case by the Ombudsman is slow he still respected
it.
“Lalabas ang resolution
diyan sa kaso pag tapos na ang term ni Gob (Governor)”.
Aside from Bigay, Tayag,
Oliquinio was with Provincial Information Officer Butch Velasco, who called the
press conference at the provincial government owned Capitol Resort Hotel, and the village
chiefs of Sabangan, Estanza, Malimpuec and Capandanan whose barangays hosted
the eco-tourism project of Espino.
If the Ombudsman
resolves the resolution and the case will be tried at the Sandiganbayan (court
for government officials), Oliquino said he will appear at the court hearing
because he is the complainant.
A newspaper editor who
asked not to be identified opined that the defection of Oliquino to Espino is a
legal victory of the latter as it would weaken the case filled by the former.
“He can withdraw his
incriminating allegations or he would not attend the hearing at the
Sandiganbayan thus prompting the accused to call for the dismissal of the
case,” he stressed.
He added that Oliquino’s
turned around could be blamed on his former patron not taking care of
him anymore.
“Napabaya-an si
Oliquino!,” he quipped
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