Pangasinan DENR disputes ‘black sand’ mining reports

By Liezle BasaInigo

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Department of Environment and Natural Resources ) broke its silence last week and through its Mines and Geosciences Bureau director in Region 1, denied the existence of any black sand or magnetite sand extraction in the eco-tourism zone, here.

MGB Region 1 Director Carlos Tayag clarified “there is no black sand or magnetite sand extraction” in Lingayen and reiterated that the issue has been clarified through a report by government urban planners at the Capitol last Wednesday.

Earlier, MGB engineers visited the area covering four barangays in Lingayen namely Sabangan, Estanza, Malimpuec, and Capandanan and reported that there was no sign or actual black sand mining operations going on as opposed to news reports last week (not in the Manila Bulletin).

“What black sand mining are they talking about?” said Provincial Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Officer Alvin Bigay. “There was never black sand mining in Lingayen.”

Officials of some coastal barangays in this town also trooped to the Capitol to belie allegations that black sand mining has been going on in their communities.

Kagawad Vicente Oliquino of Barangay Sabangan said he was planning to file appropriate charges against the instigators of the “malicious” news reports for dragging his name into the controversy, alleging that he filed a graft case against Pangasinan officials, including Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr.