Duterte vows to block Aboitiz Power plan to tap Davao City ground water

DAVAO City, Philippines—Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he remained unconvinced by the explanation by the Aboitiz Power Corp. in proposing to source out the water needed to cool the turbines of the proposed 300 megawatt coal-fired power plant here, from the city’s fresh groundwater.

Duterte said the water expert presented to him in Friday’s committee hearing was not the one who actually made the study on the sustainability of Davao City’s groundwater but was only reading from a report of another expert now in Vietnam.

“Satisfy me first because if not, I may not participate in the deliberation (as a presiding officer) but I can still talk and I will object,” Duterte said during the Gikan sa Masa, para sa Masa Sunday television program.

The vice mayor was among those who had openly endorsed the project until he learned that the proposed 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant to be set up in the boundary areas of Binugao, Toril, would have to extract fresh water from the ground.

“Seawater can be corrosive to the turbine but there are two rivers running along Binugao and Santa Cruz, I said, why can’t you just get fresh water from there? They said it had something to do with the cost,” the vice mayor said.

“It will be cheaper for them to extract water from the ground but that’s not exactly what’s on my mind,” he added.

Duterte said the hydraulic expert presented during the committee hearing was not the one who made the study on the sustainability of the city’s groundwater supply.

“Sustainability means that it’s not only our generation who should enjoy water but also the next generation and the generation after that,” Duterte said.

“He was just reading a report of someone else. I don’t want to embarrass people. I was listening to him, he was reporting the report of another person. The one who conducted the experiment on the adequacy and inadequacy, assured that water is sustainable, but is there really enough water?” he asked. “These are the things that bothered me and I want answers backed up by wherewithal, by empirical and scientific data. I was not convinced, so I told Aboitiz, I’m sorry, I’m not satisfied.”

“Satisfy me first because if not, I will object,” Duterte said, adding he would let someone else preside the session should they submit the proposal for second reading because he would object.

“I want that experiment brought out in the open, so everyone will know,” he said.

Duterte said the power firm would have to use the water running in two rivers in Binugao and Santa Cruz, because he would object to the proposal to extract water from the ground to protect water sustainability for the next generation.