Governor sued on black sand mining

Village officials and residents of Lingayen, Pangasinan, have filed a criminal complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman against provincial officials, led by Governor Amado Espino Jr., for allegedly allowing illegal black sand mining in the province.

In the complaint filed January 16, village officials and residents said provincial officials, village captains and officers of the firms Alexandra Mining and Oil Ventures (Amov) and Xypher Builders Inc. (XBI) were liable for violating anti-graft and mining laws and the local government code.

They also accused the officials of abuse of authority and neglect of duty.

They protested the operations of Amov and XBI, saying the two firms had been using heavy equipment to extract black sand in commercial quantities.

The complaint alleged that Espino, Lingayen Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan, consultant Eric Acuna, Pangasinan housing officer Alvin Bigay, officers of Amov and XBI and several village captains supported and conspired to allow the illegal mining.

Reached by the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone Tuesday, Baraan said the Pangasinan government could not comment on the issue because it has yet to receive a copy of the complaint.

“We are not aware of it. We have not received a copy,” Baraan said.

The complaint said Espino and Baraan should be held liable for abuse of authority by issuing a small-scale mining permit to Amov without the firm meeting several requirements.

The Inquirer also tried but failed to reach Lingayen Mayor Ernesto Castañeda Jr. He did not reply to calls made and text messages sent to his mobile phone on Tuesday.

Castañeda, village captains Hector Fabiano, Mario Navarro and Delfin Velasco were also liable for neglect of duty for failing to stop the illegal mining, the complaint said.

The complaint quoted the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) as saying it found that a small-scale mining permit had been issued to Amov despite lack of an environmental compliance certificate, clearance from MGB, endorsement from the provincial board and approval of the local government unit.

The complaint pointed to a letter from Espino to MGB saying no mining was ongoing in Lingayen, which was contrary to the permit that the governor issued to Amov.

While an order to halt mining was issued, black sand mining continued and even expanded.

The complainants said they had written to the Office of the President for help in putting a stop to black sand mining.

They said they learned that Espino had entered into an agreement with XBI to allow the firm to extract sand and earth materials in coastal areas to make way for a supposed ecotourism project. With a report from Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon