(CNN Philippines, May 16) — Former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez fired at Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez for alluding to mining suspensions which he said were based on “unseen” audits.
“I brought the boxes several times to the Commission on Appointments. There is something wrong with Sonny Dominguez eyes! And there is also something wrong with his ears!” Lopez said in a press conference Monday, referring to what Dominguez said during a forum last week.
Lopez was responding to Dominguez’s statements at the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative forum on May 11. Dominguez said, “Never again should suspensions be meted out on the basis of unseen audits.”
Dominguez also said the Duterte administration would practice “strong but not arbitrary” governance by abiding by global best practices to ensure sustainable development.
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He added, “One could be environment-friendly and business-friendly at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive inclinations. Only the zealots think they are.”
Lopez said that everything she had done as Environment chief was in accordance with the Philippine Constitution.
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“If for Secretary Dominguez that is not enough, I wonder if he should redefine his word of legal,” Lopez added.
She then demanded the Finance Chief to prove his claims.
In a counter-response, Dominguez released a statement saying that whoever had a beef with the country’s mining laws should “do themselves a favour by working to have them repealed”.
“My only comment is if certain quarters think the law is unfair they should work to change the law, as violation of the laws is not an option for any government official or any good citizen for that matter,” Dominguez said.
Lopez also took to Facebook to answer Dominguez.
In a Facebook note, Lopez listed points of contention in Dominguez’s speech, maintaining that the audits which led to the closure of 23 mining firms in January had been based on seven pre-existing laws.
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Lopez concluded the note by calling Dominguez a “huge mega sell-out”.
Dominguez is co-chair of the interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) along with the Environment chief. The MICC was convened after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered the closure of the mines.
Dominguez also denied claims of having any current shares in the mining industry in February, after shares from Philex Mining Corp. appeared in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
The Finance secretary said the shares, acquired in 1967 under his name, were given to one of his sons by his mother.
CNN Philippines’ Digital Producer Chad de Guzman contributed to this report.
