Gov. Amado Espino Jr.
MANILA, Philippines – The Sandiganbayan has issued a hold departure order (HDO) against Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, who was charged with graft over black sand mining in Lingayen Gulf.
The Bureau of Immigration should not allow Espino to leave the country without clearance, magistrates of the anti-graft court’s sixth division chaired by Associate Justice Rodolfo Ponferrada said in a directive issued yesterday.
Espino’s co-accused – former provincial administrator Rafael Baraan, former Pangasinan Housing and Urban Development coordinating officer Alvin Bigay, Cynthia Camara and Lolita Bolayog of Alexandra Mining and Oil Ventures Inc. as well as Michael Ramirez, Gina Alcazar and Avery Pujol of Xypher Builders Inc. – were also barred from leaving the country.
In filing the charges last week, the Office of the Ombudsman said Presidential Proclamation 1258 declares Lingayen Gulf as an environmentally critical area.
Graft probers said the respondents should be held liable for authorizing unlawful magnetite extraction in favor of an unqualified contractor. The government lost P10.7 million when the extracted minerals were exported to China, they added.
The anti-graft court has yet to act on the motion for reconsideration that Espino filed.
In a text message to The STAR, provincial information officer Orpheus Velasco said Espino is not bothered about the HDO.
“He has no plans whatsoever to leave the country,” the text message stated. – With Eva Visperas
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