ANTI-BLACKSAND mining group Aro Mo Ako Sambayanan (Aromas) on Monday urged Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to suspend Gov. Amado Espino of Pangasinan province over the issue of massive black sand mining operations.

“We strongly urge Ombudsman Carpio Morales to decisively grant our appeal to immediately suspend Governor Espino from post over our raised concerns against illegal mining and quarrying operations in the whole province of Pangasinan,” Aromas President Vicente Oliquino said in a statement.

Oliquino said that he believes that the suspension of Espino from office will automatically mean stoppage of this worst case of plunder to the environment, bureaucratic robbery of black sand in Pangasinan province.

Earlier, Aromas filed administrative cases against Espino before the Ombudsman in regards with abuse of authority, neglect of duty, violation of the local government code, and graft and corruption charges.

The group also claimed that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also issued a cease and desist order against the extraction of magnetite from the black sand in Lingayen last January 30.

Aromas stressed that despite the DENR order, illegal mining activities of Governor Espino continue to cover numbers of barangays in Lingayen and San Fabian.

It added that exportation and smuggling of black sands away from the shorelines of Pangasinan province going to China are also being reported despite existence of the DENR cease and desist order.