MGB 7 officials accused of receiving bribe money

Is the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 receiving bribes from the Apo Land and Quarry Corp. (ALQC) to issue a favorable assessment on the cracks found in Barangay Tina-an, City of Naga?

For Provincial Board (PB) Member Raul Bacaltos, it seems to be the case.

During the PB’s regular session yesterday, Bacaltos insinuated that MGB 7 officials may have been receiving bribes from ALQC in order to clear them for cracks found in Sitio Tagaytay prior to the landslide that occurred there in Sept. 20, which resulted in the deaths of 78 people.

Bacaltos made the insinuation when the PB summoned MGB 7 officials yesterday to shed light on the landslide.

But Armando Malicse, head of MGB 7’s Mine Safety, Environment and Social Development Division, denied Bacaltos’s insinuations.

During the session yesterday, Bacaltos asked Malicse why the MGB 7 issued a certification on Sept. 5 that the cracks in Sitio Tagaytay were not due to quarry operations but due to natural phenomena.

The certification was issued a day after City of Naga Mayor Kristine Chiong received a letter from MGB 7 about their findings.

Bacaltos said that despite MGB 7’s assessment, the cracks found in Sitio Tagaytay worsened, eventually resulting in a landslide.

He also received reports that despite the presence of cracks, ALQC continued its operations there.

“Is it possible that your office received any amount from the said company?” Bacaltos asked Malicse.

Malicse replied, “I received not a single cent of bribe money.”

Malicse said that while ALQC has a mining production sharing agreement (MPSA) in Sitio Tagaytay, they have not initiated any quarrying there as of this year but more on road development.

For him, Malicse said, the MGB 7 initially didn’t recommend evacuation in the area because the cracks found there were common in areas where limestone or “anapog” is rich. /