Proponents of Subic coal-fired power plant belittle protests
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The coal-fired power plant project here being pushed by a consortium of energy companies led by Aboitiz Power, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and Taiwan Cogen Corp. has no real opposition, according to a representative of the proponent.
“If we are convinced that the overwhelming majority of people in this area do not want the project, we would go away. But we’ve done surveys, we’ve talked to a lot of the people within Barangay Cawag, within Subic [town] … We do not believe there is significant opposition to this project,” said Raymond Cunningham, first vice president for business development of Aboitiz Power and member of the steering committee of RP Energy.
RP Energy is the corporate vehicle of the three firms leading the project.
“What opposition there is is extremely vocal, well-financed and knows how to get into [the media]. There is a lot of hard evidence to us that indicate there is not significant opposition to the project,” Cunningham added.
In August, more than 2,000 residents, local officials and members of nongovernment organizations braved heavy rains to protest the planned construction of the 600-megawatt coal-fired plant inside the free port and asked President Aquino to intervene.
The protests have also reached the social networking site, Facebook, where a page dedicated to the opposition to the coal plant has attracted over 5,000 people. Local governments have passed resolutions against the project.
Tourism operators in the free port and in communities surrounding the economic zone have also opposed the construction of the plant, saying pollution from it would ruin the air and water quality in the Subic Bay area.
Olongapo Mayor James Gordon Jr. doubted the claim of the plant’s proponents on the extent of opposition to the project.
“They may have asked respondents living outside of Olongapo in their supposed surveys. It could even be that they may have asked the wrong questions, thereby projecting the wrong answers which they twisted to serve their purpose. I even doubt that there was indeed an independent survey conducted,” he said. He said the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has scheduled a series of social acceptability process consultations starting Dec. 7.
“The city government will join the various stakeholders in voicing our strong opposition to the coal power plant project. Even the [Catholic diocese] of Zambales, through its Social Action Center, is actively generating mass support against the power plant,” he said.
Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II said RP Energy officials must realize that the local governments of Zambales, Olongapo and Subic are united in their fight against the project.
“That is on record. I don’t know why they say that’s insignificant. If they believe they can easily sway local government officials to accept their project, they are mistaken,” he said. He said the opposition to the project is aimed at protecting the health of residents, the Subic Bay environment and the local tourism industry.
But Cunningham said the local governments’ approval is not necessary for the project to push through.
“We would prefer and will continue to seek their support and their endorsement … [However], endorsement of private projects is not part of the law. Our reasons for wanting their approval is because we want to be considered a blessing in the community. And we believe our project will be, and can be,” he said.
As for the tourism operators in the area, Cunningham said their concerns were mainly aesthetic.
“They would rather not see it [across the Subic Bay]. As far as environmental impact … I personally know that this project is environmentally safe,” he said. Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon
