The antigraft court Sandiganbayan has denied the plea of Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr. for permission to challenge, through a demurrer, sufficiency of evidence against him in a graft case involving black sand mining in the Lingayen Gulf. In a seven-page resolution dated Sept. 5, the court’s Sixth Division said Espino should present evidence to prove his claim that no black sand mining took place in the gulf and that he did not act with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. WaiverEspino may opt to still challenge the evidence presented against him but this would mean waiver of his right to present evidence to counter that of the prosecution. This means the antigraft court may rule on Espino’s case based only on the evidence that the Ombudsman presented. Last year, the Court of Appeals (CA) ruled that the extraction of black sand in Lingayen was not a mining operation.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 02, 2018 21:11 UTC