Vizcaya mayor faces contempt charges for ignoring TRO

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – A mining company asked the court yesterday to cite a Nueva Vizcaya mayor in contempt for ignoring the temporary restraining order (TRO) allowing the entry of its equipment into its exploration site.

Kasibu town Mayor Romeo Tayaban was accused of showing disrespect for the TRO which Executive Judge Godofredo Naui of Regional Trial Court Branch 37 had granted Oxiana Philippines (also known as Royalco Philippines) against moves to block the entry of its equipment in Barangays Pao and Kakiduguen.

In the petition he filed yesterday, lawyer Virgil Castro, Oxiana’s legal counsel, said Tayaban even refused to assist them when they tried to remove the road blockade.

Castro, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ local chapter, said Tayaban had “no respect for the court.”

Tayaban, a known anti-mining critic, could not be reached for comment. He, however, earlier vowed to oppose any large-scale mining projects in his town, saying that what they need is agricultural development.

In a related development, RTC Judge Eden Vincent Panay denied a petition by anti-mining villagers who have been preventing the entry of Oxiana’s equipment and personnel by claiming that the road was part of a private property.