PALOMPON, Leyte — A Leyte town mayor has recently alleged that Leyte Fourth District Representative Richard Gomez was using government agencies to harass him as retaliation for his support to the former’s political opponent in the 2022 congressional election.

Palompon Mayor Ramon Oñate stressed that the different accusations of violation on environmental laws directed against him are “pure and simple harassment” allegedly being orchestrated by the Leyte lawmaker.

“He is not doing it personally but he is using the different agencies of the government for his bidding,” Oñate alleged.

Gomez could not be reached for comment.

The allegations stemmed from an incident where at least a hundred law enforcers including anti-riot policemen in shield and truncheons, SWAT, operatives from Regional Mobile Force Company, National Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Division of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources stormed his farm in Barangay San Joaquin to implement a search warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court.

The subject of the search warrant were the solid and hazardous wastes consisting of chicken parts, chicken droppings, intestines, feathers, dead chicken, large blue plastic drums, medicine bottles and plastic bags with contents that are allegedly buried in the premises of DBSN Farms Agriventures Corporation that Oñate owns.

The search warrant was issued by RTC Judge Georgina Uy Perez last 16 January for violation of Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Area System Act of 2018 based on a complaint filed by DENR regional executive director Lormelyn Claudio.

In issuing the warrant, Perez said the law prohibits the dumping of toxic and hazardous waste detrimental to protected areas or to plants and animals that inhabit them. She said there are good and sufficient reasons to believe that the farm has been dumping wastes.