Barruela runs for mayor to curb mining
ROXAS CITY – Last termer Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Member Villamor Barruela of Maayon, Capiz said that he is running for mayor of the said town. He vowed that he will continue to oppose mining operations in the town once he is elected into office, because of the ill-effects that such activity has on the environment as well as to the residents of the place and its neighboring towns.
Barruela, a former police chief for almost 17 years in several towns of Capiz, clarified that he is only against large scale mining and would go for small scale mining because this is a livelihood of the Maayon folks.
According to him, he earlier agreed to run as vice mayor and as the running mate of Vice Mayor Pedot Borres who is running for mayoral post. However, he decided to run for mayor in order to combat the impending mining operations in Maayon.
Barruela also accused Borres and group of manipulating the resolution allowing the Teresa Marble Corporation (TMC) to conduct a mining exploration in three barangays namely: Canapian, Quinabonglan and Aglimocon in Maayon.
He remembered that on Feb. 4, 2008, these barangays passed resolutions allowing the TMC to conduct a mining exploration. However, when it reached the SB for approval, Barruela, presiding at that time, returned the resolutions to the concerned barangays for public hearing.
He added that on February 8 last year, the SB of Maayon tackled the matter again and it was approved without any public hearings in the three barangays and without any deliberation during the session.
Several months ago, Diestro exposed to the Iloilo media that Maayon’s elected officials are being bribed by miners but Borres and his group denied such. Borres presented to The News Today a small nipa house where he stays, saying that he is not a corrupt official.
He also challenged Diestro to prove his allegations, adding that now that the 2010 elections is fast approaching, Diestro’s accusation has a political color.
Earlier, Gov. Victor Tanco, Sr. issued an Executive Order to stop the acceptance and processing of applications for mining exploration in Maayon.
It was learned that there was a mining act or national law allowing the miners to conduct mining explorations and operations nationwide but this is applicable only when there is social acceptance in the locality where the activity will be located.
