Braganza's Former Ally Hits News reports vs Black Sand

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

FORMER NEMESIS: Vicente Oliquino (holding a microphone), former arch
 critic of Governor Amado T. Espino on the alleged black sand mining
in Lingayen, Pangasinan lauded the governor on his eco-tourism
 project in the place since it can generate employment for the
 people there.Others in photo are  Mines and Geosciences Bureau
 Regional Director Carlos Tayag , Provincial Housing  
and Urban Development Coordinating Officer Engr. Alvin Bigay
(4th and 5th from left, respectively,and the village chiefs of
Lingayen.

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.

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 .

BLACK  SAND - Oliquino (extreme left), who sued Governor

 Espino, Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan, Consultant 

Eric Acuna, Pangasinan Housing Officer Alvin Bigay, and 

several village chiefs in Lingayen of conspiring to allow the

 alleged illegal magnetite mining at the shoreline of Lingayen 

Gulf, was seen on this file photo with Bayan Muna Rep. 

Teddy Casiño when they made an ocular inspection  of the place

in January 24, 2013.

.

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