SC junks Erice’s plea

The Supreme Court (SC) has junked a petition filed by a lawmaker critical of Vice President Jejomar Binay and supposed supporters of President Benigno Aquino 3rd and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas 2nd, finding them liable for violating Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) restrictions by going beyond mining extraction limits in Barangay La Fraternidad, Tubay, Agusan del Norte.

A recent decision of the SC 2nd Division penned by Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo upheld a ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA) that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has the right to revoke the ECCs of small-scale mining companies that violate extraction policies.