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[av_heading heading=’Protesters liken Capiz pols to ‘manananggal’ ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JOHN HEREDIA
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ROXAS City – Militants against the lifting of the moratorium on large-scale mining in Capiz likened the Provincial Board to an evil mythical creature.
They burned effigies of manananggal with the pictures of Provincial Board members to protest the passage of Provincial Ordinance (PO) No. 9 series of 2016, which lifted the 50-year mining ban.
“Manananggal represents the greedy and corrupt government officials who sell out the patrimony of the province to foreign commercial mining companies,” said Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Capiz spokesperson Kashmier Diestro.
“Manananggal represents the pusher of mining in the Provincial Board,” Diestro said.
In Philippine myths manananggal is described as a bloodsucking monster that can fly by separating its torso from its legs.
Members of the Kabataan para sa Pagbag-o (KP) joined the burning of 10 effigies during a protest around 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 in front of the capitol building, simultaneous with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session.
PO No. 9 was passed on May 11, just two days after the national elections. Then Board member Emmanuel Billones Jr. authored it.
Ten Board members voted to “kill” Board member Jonathan Besa’s proposal to reinstate the mining ban despite “overwhelming demand” from 12 local governments against PO No. 9, Diestro claimed.
They were Roberto Ignacio, Eduardo Magallanes, Enrique Martin, Blesilda Almalbis, Karen Palomar, Camilo Robles, Jeffrey Layo, Eleuper Martinez, Lilia Demalata, and Vice Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras (presiding officer).
“The Provincial Board members are not representing the people. They are putting us in danger,” said KP spokesperson Rolando Navales./PN
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