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Friday, March 29, 2024

Ebdane denies selling PH soil

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FORMER Zambales governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. on Monday denied anew that he sold soil from two mountains in Zambales to the Chinese to be used for reclamation activities at the Scarborough Shoal.

“I cannot sell something that is not mine, I have no authority,” Ebdane told Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. 

This was tackled during a joint committee hearing on reported destructive mining operations and illegal excavations in the province. 

ZAMBALES EXCAVATIONS. Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee, heaves questions to former Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane and incumbent Gov. Amor Deloso during the resumption Monday of a public hearing on the mining operations and illegal excavations in Zambales. The probe aims to determine the extent of damage caused to the environment and the persons to be held accountable for the alleged exploitative activities. Lino Santos
 

The hearing was initiated after Senator Panfilo Lacson filed Senate Resolution No. 92, which seeks to investigate the alleged smuggling of soil and rocks to the Chinese for their reclamation activities. 

Reports earlier cited mining activities that are practically flattening mountains and damaging a large area of forested highlands in Santa Cruz town.

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There were also reports quoting Zambales Gov. Amor Deloso as saying that soil from Zambales were used to reclaim almost 3,500 hectares of the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea.

Another report quoted a source from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency as saying the mining firms were smuggling soil and rocks to build a chain of Chinese islands in the West Philippine Sea. 

Ebdane also denied any reclamation activity by the Chinese at the Scarborough Shoal but claimed that mining operations by the Chinese in the shoal started even before his term as governor. 

Deloso for his part said that he could not confirm or deny his earlier claim but said that he had no personal knowledge of the matter. 

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