The fact-finding committee tasked by the Police Regional Office 6 to investigate illegal mining activities in an island in northern Iloilo, has initially exonerated Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, former provincial police director of Negros Occidental, from the claims of involvement in illegal mining racket in Carles, Iloilo.
The issue of illegal mining activity in the Calagna-an Island in Carles town Iloilo, dragged the names of Guisihan, now the PRO 6 chief of directorial staff, and Supt. Giovani Musico of the Iloilo City Police Office.
While he admitted being a friend of Eric Lacson, owner of Calagnaan Agro-Industrial Corporation that is engaged in mining, uisihan vehemently denied that he is involved in it.
The probe team initially found no probable cause for the allegations against Guisihan, but testimonies of witnesses allegedly revealed that Musico has a hand in the illegal activity, Senior Inspector Sally Manuel, officer-in-charge, of the RPRO6 Regional Public Information Office, said
Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, regional police director of Western Visayas, however, said the the results of the fact-finding committee on the reported illegal mining activity in northern Iloilo, is not yet final, and still subject for review.
He said he has already received a copy of the investigation, but is still going through it. He also said he was not privy to the case, as it happened before he was installed as regional police director.
The alleged existence of illegal mining in Carles came after the deaths of two mine workers , both employees of CAIC.
The two suspects, who remain at-large were identified as Kokoy Jopson of Global Security Agency, and a certain Jojie Belmonte, also a mine worker of Lacson.
Lacson was allegedly buying gold from a Calagna-an island resident for P1,100 against the P1,200 offered by a group of gold buyers from Masbate.
The disparity in the of buying price allegedly caused the conflict that resulted in the shooting incident on June 24.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau reported that the CAIC holds a 25-year mining lease contract to dig and extract gold, clay, and other minerals, in the island that is more than 1,000 hectares.*GPB back
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