By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The ongoing probe on the alleged use of fake quarry coupons, used for the extraction and delivery of sand and gravel by private operators, has been escalated into a criminal case, according to the Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Office (PLO).
According to PLO head, Atty. Jose Ma. Valencia, the decision was made after numerous fraudulent quarry coupons recently surfaced.
Valencia said the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) has been contacted and reclassified the investigation from an administrative proceeding to a criminal case of falsification of public documents, brought against those caught in possession of the counterfeit coupons.
While he did not disclose the names of the quarry operators involved, he pointed out many of them, and their illicit acts, had been discovered by the Provincial Treasurer’s Office.
A recent report showed the provincial government losing as much as P800,000 in revenue from fake coupons.
Earlier in April, Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. ordered an investigation on a quarry operator in the province, who was allegedly using the fake documents.
The initial suspect, who was not named, but only identified as being from Kabankalan City and “south of Bacolod,” was, according to the governor, caught with the counterfeit documents./WDJ