Garcia Hernandez mayor Tita Baja declined the opportunity to go on air and explain the local government unit’s (LGU) side regarding the use of a truck owned by the said LGU allegedly used to haul illegally extracted sand.
In a telephone conversation with The Bohol Tribune on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, Mayor Baja said that she will not issue any statement about the issue. She added that her statements about the issue may be construed as “political”.
Her stance has changed after she agreed on Monday, June 7, 2021, to go on air and clear the issue by Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
The Bohol Tribune’s associate editor explained to the mayor that the interview is an opportunity for the LGU to provide their side of the story. The Bohol Tribune has been observing objective reporting by presenting both sides of the story. This is the reason the newspaper reached out to the mayor for her comments on the issue.
However, the mayor repeatedly declined the request for an interview on air to clear the said issue. The Bohol Tribune and its radio programs remain open for the LGU of Garcia Hernandez to air its side of the story.
The issue stems from an operation conducted on Friday, June 4, 2021, by the Bohol Environment Protection Task Force (BEPTF) where a truck carrying three cubic meters of alleged illegally extracted sand.
According to the police, the driver of the LGU-owned truck, a certain John Dante Salva, was unable to present a delivery receipt in relation to the extracted sand.
The BEPTF, a task force under the provincial government, conducted an operation on Friday that led to the interception of the said truck carrying the alleged illegally extracted sand.
A source told The Bohol Tribune that the BEPTF received an anonymous tip about alleged illegally extracted sand being transported in the said town.