BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar — Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone has denied reports that he issued a permit for mining operations in Homonhon, Guiuan town. 'I have no authority to issue a mining permit. It is only the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which is authorized to issue permits to large-scale mining operations like in Homonhon,' he said in a statement on Tuesday, June 27. Just recently, reports on social media claimed that the governor approved a permit to an unnamed company to conduct mining operations in Homonhon, a historic island where Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and the Spanish soldiers landed in 1521.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1794594/governors-office-didnt-issue-any-mining-permit-in-homonhon-evardone

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