By Miriam G. Desacada
Ormoc City–Palompon Mayor Ramon Oñate on Thursday (June 6) wrote to Environment Secretary Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga demanding the transfer of Regional Executive Director (RED) Lormelyn Claudio of DENR-Region 8 to other region or post.
RED Claudio was only assigned to her present post on July 6 last year, replacing RED Fadriquela upon the request of Leyte 4th district Rep. Richard Gomez, said Oñate.
Yet she “has exhibited a troubling pattern of biased behavior that has disproportionately and unjustly disadvantaged the LGU,” the Palompon mayor said.
Oñate, in his letter with copy furnished to President Bongbong Marcos among others, said that RED Claudio consistently showed acts of “manifest partiality and bias against the LGU of Palompon,” which prompted him to demand for the latter’s transfer.
Oñate enumerated at least 11 points of biased actions by the DENR top regional official, some of which was directed against the Palompon mayor himself, who is publicly known as a political opponent of Rep. Gomez.
Among these are, as Oñate narrated, RED Claudio’s obvious eagerness to strike the mayor’s private business. He said that, weeks after her installation as RED, Claudio “immediately ordered the reinspection of DBSN Dressing Plant in Albuera town and the DBSN Chicken Breeding Farm in Palompon,” both belonging to the Oñates.
Oñate said RED Claudio’s move was based only on the environmental case filed against him by former mayor Georgina Arevalo, an ally of Rep. Gomez, alleging that chicken wastes had been dumped and buried in these places.
On August 25 last year, RED Claudio ordered an excavation of some sites inside the DBSN Farms at Brgy. San Joaquin in Palompon, apparently to come up with evidences to back the allegations of Arevalo and Rep. Gomez.
This case, however, was already “tried and dismissed by the RTC,” but these businesses of Oñate remained the persistent target of Rep. Gomez in his series of accusation for environment violations, even if unproven.
RED Claudio disregarded the RTC’s earlier decision dismissing the same complaint by the same complainant, then directed personnel of the DENR, DILG, DPWH and the PNP to assist in the excavation, with the cost of money and efforts borne by the DENR-8, said Oñate.
On September 8, despite a court’s TRO stopping the DENR from proceeding with the excavation, RED Claudio deftly secured a search warrant from another RTC branch that allowed her to order the DENR personnel to implement the excavation, with a phalanx of armed escorts from the Ormoc City PNP guarding the excavation workers.
RED Claudio used excessive efforts in searching for evidences to prove the allegations that there are hazardous wastes dumped and buried at DBSN Farms in Brgy. San Joaquin.
DBSN Farms moved to quash the search warrant, but RED Claudio went farther to accomplish her intention by “unnecessary use and wastage of government resources and manpower in requiring the presence of PNP SWAT Force to escort her to and from the RTC, and during the RTC proceedings,” said Oñate.
Spending fully whatever power she has at her disposal, RED Claudio was able to enforce her excavation order on a number of randomly selected sites inside the Farm area. However, she and her excavation forces did not find any hazardous or chicken wastes buried in the place, except for some tin cans, and discarded food wrappers or containers.
This failure did not stop her however as she is now orchestrating an impending attack against the LGU, this time targeting tourist’s spots, Palompon Terrestrial Eco-Adventure Park and the Kalanggaman Island.
Instead of working for the overall environmental protection across the region, she seemed to be focusing her concerns on the mayor’s businesses, and the Palompon LGU. This “selective attack is destroying the harmonious relationship and cooperation previously enjoyed between the DENR and the LGU,” said Oñate.
During the congressional inquiry on alleged environmental violations and abuses in Palompon (sponsored by Rep. Gomez), RED Claudio testified under oath that no Certificate of Land Use Plan (CLUP) shall be approved without prior approval of a Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP).
Yet, she contradicted herself by saying that Ormoc and Kananga, headed by Gomez wife Lucy and brother-in-law Matt Torres, respectively, have no approved FLUPs yet, but these LGUs already had CLUPs each? Why is it then that Palompon LGU could not have a CLUP similarly approved? Oñate wondered over the inconsistency.
Oñate made it clear to Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga that RED Claudio does not act on complaints against Rep. Gomez and his family, but is very active in running after the political opponents of the Gomezes.
RED Claudio did not exert any effort to the reports that chicken carcasses infected Avian Flu were buried “without sheeting” near the water source and rice paddies inside a chicken breeder farm in Kananga.
“Perhaps the inaction may have stemmed from the fact that one of the incorporators of said farm is the daughter of Rep. Gomez whom RED Claudio is so eager to please,” commented Oñate in his letter.
Another biased action is that RED Claudio ignored concerns on the environmental effects of sand and gravel quarrying at Canawagan River of Kananga, the mayor of which is the brother-in-law of Rep. Gomez.
Instead, she allowed the provincial government to issue the Industrial Sand and Gravel (ISAG) permit, even if it is the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) that is tasked to approve and issue such permit. With this, she disregarded her mandate and that of her office, DENR, to ensure protection of the environment, said Oñate.
Oñate further said that RED Claudio has been silent also on the gross environmental violations at Brgy. Naungan Mangrove Eco-park, a protected mangrove forest in Ormoc City was destroyed to give way to the construction of the multi-million Megacity project of City Mayor Lucy, wife of Rep. Gomez.
She declared earlier that the DENR did not issue yet an ECC for the project construction, but she allowed the construction to continue. She did not do any action to be undertaken by the DENR for the protection of the mangroves and the environment in the area, said Oñate in his letter.
Oñate said that, “it has been apparent that from the time Claudio assumed the RED post in DENR-8, she has exhibited behavior that amounts to grave misconduct, oppression, and gross neglect of duty in carrying out her responsibilities by becoming the puppet of the congressman in running after his political opponents to the detriment of the general public.”
The mayor also revealed that RED Claudio “has been seen several times in public sporting luxury shoes and bags (signature items).”
“Ownership of these personal belongings is not even commensurate to her salary grade as an RED,” said Oñate, adding that “this is an extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth proscribed under Republic Act 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees).
Based on these issues, Oñate told the DENR Secretary of his demand for “the immediate transfer of RED Claudio from her current position to restore fairness and ensure unbiased administration within the DENR-8,” which he said is “necessary to rebuild trust and maintain proper functioning of the agency, free from any prejudiced influences.” —-Miriam G. Desacada