Businessman Michel Lhuillier through one of his legal counsels, Bayani Atup, asked for the termination of the investigation conducted by the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau-7 after obtaining the affidavits of the couples who reportedly complained against his alleged involvement in illegal sand extraction in Camotes Island.
Spouses Jovil and Mary Ann Gozolado and Jay and Maridel Ruiz, all residents of Cebu City, reportedly issued joint affidavits stating they owned the beach lot in Magamay, Western Poblacion in San Francisco, Camotes Island affected by the alleged illegal extraction of filling materials wherein Lhuillier was reported as the buyer.
The couples also reportedly filed a complaint at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the said illegal extraction of filling materials from their lot.
But the couples declared they never made any complaint to the DENR regarding the quarrying within the parcel of land they owned nor alleged that Lhuillier was the buyer of the illegally extracted filling materials.
MGB-7 regional technical director Roger de Dios recently wrote Lhuillier pertaining to the reported rampant illegal extraction of sand materials along the beach and within the offshore areas in San Francisco wherein residents referred to the businessman as buyer.
De Dios cited in his letter to Lhuillier that beach and sand extractions, including those in submerged lands and offshore areas, and those part of the mineral reservation areas, are explicitly prohibited under Batas Pambansa 265.
He also wrote San Francisco Mayor Alfredo Arquillano to check on the report and asked for the protection of the beaches through the assistance of the local police. — Ferliza C. Contratista/MEEV