LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March L. Fianza
MANKAYAN,
Benguet -- In a bid to stop the delivery of fencing material to one of the mine
drill sites in the Far Southeast project of the Lepanto Copper Mining
Corporation (LCMC) and prevent law enforcers from delivering a lawful court
order, around a hundred men and women blocked the road at sitioPalatong leading
to sitioMadaymen, Barangay Tabio in Mankayan Monday last week.
Deputy
Sherrif Henry Longay who led eight other sherrifs belonging to several Regional
Trial Court branches in Benguet Province in delivering the special order penned
by Judge Agapito K. Laoagan, Jr. of RTC Branch 64, said he did not expect a mob
of protesters to block the road with a diagonally parked tow truck, thinking
that the confrontation would take place at the drill site in sitioMadaymen.
Longay
and the sheriffs who were assisted by more than 70 policemen called in from
stations in Mankayan, Buguias and Camp Dangwa and led by P/Supts. Glen Lonogan
and Darnel Dulnuan, reached sitioPalatong on 12 police mobile vehicles at
around 6 o’clock and were surprised to find farmer-residents already standing
arm-in-arm, shoulder to shoulder behind the tow truck.
As
the morning sun warmed the tense atmosphere and thirty minutes after Longay
explained to the barricade leaders their position and purpose, the protesters
turned into an unruly mob and started shouting invectives at the law enforcers,
clearly indicating that they were determined to fight and hold their
posts.
This
only showed that the protesters would not obey the court order and would not
listen to any explanation, Longay observed.
At
this point, and in compliance to the Writ of Preliminary Injunction issued by
Judge Laoagan, the police were ordered to force open the barricades and arrest
any of the protesters who pushed back the law enforcers.
The
police were able to pull away one unidentified protester who was immediately
handcuffed and brought to a waiting police mobile.
Laoagan’s
special order stated in part, “… upon orders of the said sherrifs and when circumstances so warrant,
shall arrest anyone who defies, resists, and/or thwarts the enforcement of the
said writ.”
While
the police were breaking open the barricade and trying to arrest more defiant
protesters, their supporters behind the tow truck became violent and started to
throw rocks, seriously hitting Dulnuan’s mouth.
Seeing
Dulnuan bloodied in the face, Atty. Lyman Salvador of the Commission on Human
Rights said, “this is mob rule.”
At
the same time this prompted Longay to seek the assistance of Atty. Richard
Kilaan, the protesters’ counsel, thinking that he might be able to pacify the
aggressive mob of protesters.
Longay
who talked to Kilaan through his mobile phone said the latter promised to
appear after his court hearing that morning, however hours passed and the
protesters’ counsel did not show up.
Some
elected politicians who were at the scene tried to persuade Longay and the law
enforcers to postpone enforcement of Laoagan’s order but were apparently “not
keen” on asking the protesters to remove their barricade at sitioPalatong.
One
Virgilio Antonio who claimed to be an in-law of a legitimate landowner of the
area where the drilling machine was assembled last January said the protesters
were determined to fight the delivery of the court order.
“Haan
met sigurongadakes nu protectaran mi tikarebbengan mi,” (maybe it is not wrong
to protect our rights) he told this writer.
Over
at sitio Madaymen, LCMC personnel were able to deliver the G.I. poles to be
used for fencing the drill site by detouring through another route.
Longay
confirmed later that they were able to deliver the rest of the fencing material
to the premises of the drill site successfully and that installing the fences
may commence by weekend.
Meanwhile,
an interview with a landowner at sitio Madaymen who refused to divulge his
identity said, six of the eight families who were the true owners of the
controversial land where the drilling machine was installed were already paid
by Lepanto.
The
other two however, refused to accept payment considering a pending case of
overlapping properties and for other reasons.
While
a new agreement between the mining exploration applicant and the landowners was
recently signed this year, some residents mentioned about an old agreement with
Lepanto that was made in the early 90s that would expire in three years.
They
said most of the contents of the old agreement were not fulfilled, which could
be the reason why they were now defiant of the court order.
On
the other hand, it was learned that Lepanto has a land title in its possession
over the controversial drill site area that was upheld by the court. -- marchfianza777@yahoo.com
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