Mayor’s daughter? Quarry operator may face raps for tampered, recycled permits

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines  — A quarry operator in Negros Oriental, identified as Alona Ator, the daughter of Siaton town Mayor Albert Ator, will be facing criminal charges for allegedly using the signatures of Governor Roel Degamo and Provincial Administrator Richard Enojo in a tampered and recycled permit to transport quarry materials outside the province.

Enojo said Alona had successfully shipped one barge of sand last July 8, to an unverified destination, using the Ore Transport Permit, with control number 1500705, issued on May 4, 2015.

Upon verification, it was found out that the OTP used in that shipment had a tampered date of issuance, June 24, 2015, but has the same control number 1500705, said Enojo.

Last July 19, the “permitee” allegedly tried again to load 500 cubic meters of quarry materials to the barge, “Supremo,” bound for Tagbilaran City in Bohol, using an OTP with control number 1500706 and issue date of June 24, 2015. The quarry materials were unloaded back to Siaton.

When traced, the OTP carried the name of Alona Ator, and further verification disclosed that its control number was earlier issued to another permitee, Aurora Bancairen, of Looc in Sibulan.

Based on records, Bancairen has applied for an extraction permit of only 160 cubic meters, contrary to what was loaded, allegedly by Alona, which was 500 cubic meters.

All these documents were traced to only one issuance, on May 4, 2015, with the same official receipt number, and per records bore the signatures of Degamo and Enojo.

Enojo told The Freeman he was mulling of filing a criminal complaint against Alona Ator for using his initials. “It’s not a matter of the amount but the principle behind,” he said, adding that besides falsifying documents, the provincial government also lost revenues from fees of the shipment.

Degamo already ordered the revocation of the quarry permit, a copy of which was served to Alona Ator last July 24.  (FREEMAN)