Ebdane not cowed by graft charges

OLONGAPO CITY—Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the Office of the Ombudsman erred in charging him with graft due to permits he issued which allowed a firm to haul chromite from the province.

“As governor of Zambales, I take full responsibility for my actions but I strongly believe that the conclusions reached in the Ombudsman resolution are mistaken. I will then take the appropriate remedy afforded me by law,” Ebdane said in a statement.

He said he has yet to receive the copy of the Ombudsman resolution which found probable cause to indict him for usurpation of official functions when he issued permits to Geoking Asia Mining Corp., a task of the provincial mining regulatory board. He is also charged with graft and mineral theft.

“In my long years in public service in the national government and now on my second term as local chief executive, my actions and decisions have always been based on a thorough evaluation, fair assessment of facts, with all good faith and due regard to our laws,” Ebdane said.

He said the same accusations had been raised against him and in a case filed in a court by mining company CMI against small-scale mining permit holders in the province.

But the cases, said Ebdane, had been dismissed recently by the regional trial court of Iba town in Bataan.

One of the cases involves the claim of a private mining company over mine tailings. Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon