Interests

Ben Contreras THIS “atorni” is good. After several attempts to find greener pastures, he found it back home, and became a “barker.” He lectured on the meaning of conflicts of interest but is silent on the evils of his patrons. He talks of events and circumstances where and when he wasn’t physically around, relying mostly on information being fed by his benefactors. Some would talk of ethics of journalism, and this “barker” hinted that it’s wrong for me to write about mining issues because I used to work for a mining company. But he who claims to be the real environmentalist claims to know more about the environment. Thus, he could write and talk about it with authority. Why not? I couldn’t agree more. One cannot expect a lawyer to talk about medicine, right? The hypocrisy of some is that they find conflicts of interest more morally wrong than the corruption and immorality of their benefactors. They gang up on someone who asks to be heard and who has challenged them to a press conference, face-to-face with his accusers. He submitted voluminous documents as requested only to find a few lines in print. If that is what we call giving both side a chance to air their grievances, it certainly smacks of discrimination if not, hypocrisy. Who are they to talk of conflicts of interest? Are they more qualified than Rex Monsanto, OIC regional director of the MGB, who repeatedly told the CMRB that “…there is no conflict of interest in the membership of Ralph (Abragan) in the CMRB”? Simply put, they wanted to remove the thorn because there are vested interests, and they executed it in conspiracy with characters who may really have conflicts of interest. No, I won’t argue anymore with a barker who relies on fed information. But I dare those with direct involvement in the issues and who are feeding this “barker.” You who conspired to put down Ralph, I dare you to call a press conference, and invite Ralph to defend himself. Unless you do this, you are nothing but cowards. I rest my case, Atorni!

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I saw the footage of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez while flying over the areas affected by destructive mining in Surigao. Gina was “kahilakon.” She was trying to hold her tears back. Environment Undersecretary Maria Paz Luna must have felt the same when she made an aerial survey in the hinterlands. The public is still in the dark whether the owners have been made to explain or not. The aerial survey must have caught the Clenro there by surprise. All those years, we’ve been talking about the issues that have been kept secret, and posting once in a while on Facebook accounts of raids on illegal mining to show they’re working. They were working all right, but not against illegal and destructive quarrying. Now that the cat is out of the bag, don’t tell us they were never there during their raids and appear only during the aerial survey? Buking na! Newly appointed DENR director for Region 10 Edwin Andot made a few promises and we look forward to these. But so far, nothing has been heard of. Luna’s discovery should have warranted investigations. Are you now into it, Director Andot?