Sunday, May 18, 2008 Piñol denies owning a mine field
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Cotabato Vice-Governor Manny Piñol has vehemently denied allegations hurled against him by militant groups that he owns a mine field in a village in Arakan, a hinterland town.
In a text message, Piñol said it's unbecoming for a public official like him to own a mine field when the Provincial Government is campaigning against mining.
The campaign, he said, was started in 2005 when he was still the governor of the province.
"And until today, I'm still campaigning against it. I don't allow mining in my province," he said.
Piñol was reacting to allegations hurled against him by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in North Cotabato saying the mining operations had started late April this year.
In a press statement issued to media on Friday, the KMP North Cotabato chapter said the Cotabato-Bukidnon Joint Military Task Force will only protect the economic interests of few politicians, among them Piñol.
The mine field, according to KMP, is located in Barangay Binoongan that lies in the boundary of Arakan in North Cotabato and Kitawtaw in Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao.
Once the task force is set up, the KMP said, government soldiers will serve as security of the field.
Piñol, who is still on a two-week vacation with his family in the US, said the reports were "baseless".
"I don't know what mine field they're talking about. I think they are reacting to my proposal to create a task force to hunt rebels hiding in those areas," he said. (Malu C. Manar)
