The office of the Negros Occidental governor is looking into a complaint that a San Enrique town barangay captain is allegedly destroying mangroves in the town, Jose Ma. Valencia, chief of staff of Governor Alfredo Marañon, said yesterday.

Valencia, however, withheld the name of the barangay captain to prevent him from being subjected to trial by publicity until he has explained his side, as he has been asked to do today.

The barangay captain has been reported to have put up dikes around the mangrove area, Valencia said, and concern has been raised that the dikes will cause the death of the mangroves.

If the dikes were put up to convert the mangrove area into a fishpond, that is against the law, he said.

If the dikes were put up to shield the land from floodwaters, that is not necessary because that is what the mangroves are there for, he said, that dikes will have to be removed and the person who put them up could face administrative charges.*CPG

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