Brgy. Binugao fails to give Aboitiz “resolution interposing no objection”

PRESS RELEASE
April 17, 2011

Brgy. Binugao fails to give Aboitiz “resolution interposing no objection”

Davao City – Brgy. Binugao on its session last Friday came up with a resolution supposedly to give Aboitiz a “resolution interposing no objection.” To the dismay of the council, Kagawad Flora Salandron declined to sign the resolution, strongly stating her opposition to Aboitiz’s proposed 300 MW coal fired power plant.

“Despite the absence of clear acceptability from among the residents of Binugao, their unanswered questions on the issues of coal’s negative impacts, the Brgy Council, save for me, issued a resolution with “dissenting opinion” on the proposed coal plant of Aboitiz,” said Kagawad Flora Salandron, member of the Binugao Brgy. Council and a staunch oppositor of the proposed CFPP.

She added, “All the health, environmental and economic costs of coal plant have been exchanged with mere 3 Million Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) that Aboitiz promised. But what is 3 Million compare to what it will cost on the health of poor residents who cannot even afford to pay for ‘paracetamol’ when they get sick. What is 3 Million IRA if the plant will cause damages to the resources in both marine and agricultural ecosystems that have economic and aesthetic values more than the said IRA?”

“The damage that the Coal Fired Power Plant will bring us is beyond repair,” she stressed.

Kag. Salandron’s opposition roused debate within the council. Salandron cited the Davao Zoning Ordinance and Barangay Development Plan (BDP) which classified Binugao as an agricultural area with light to medium industries. The coal plant, categorized as a heavy industry and environmentally critical project, has therefore no legal basis to be constructed within Binugao, unless Aboitiz convinces the City Council to reclassify the area.

Meanwhile, the Nagkahiusang Katawhan sa Binugao Alang sa Panginabuhian ug Kinaiyahan or NAGPAKABANA, the local peoples’ organization in Binugao, questioned the lack of public discussions as basic processes to come up with the people’s informed decision.

“Since we are from the coal plant site, there should be massive educational discussion on the impact of the coal-fired power plant. If the barangay or Aboitiz in sincere in consulting the people about this critical issue, why is there a community ”gag” in terms of the truth about coal fired power plants,” said Rody Arellano of NAGPAKABANA.

PANALIPDAN – Southern Mindanao also raised the ethical issues behind the pabaon and other attempts of blackmail by Aboitiz, saying this should be settled first before Abotiz demands any favorable endorsement from the barangay and the city council.

“Aboitiz has the guts to say that they can simply transfer to Brgy. Inawayan if the people of Davao rejects the coal plant. This does not address the people’s strong morale ground to oppose their deadly coal project. This is beyond territorial or geographical issues. Davaoenos remain to be threatened by the impact of coal even if it is constructed in Inawayan. We share the same air, water, seas. And we are all bound to suffer from Aboitiz’s coal project as it poses to exacerbate the impacts of climate change,” said Francis Morales, secretary general of PANALIPDAN and co-convener of the Network Opposed to COAL – DAVAO.

“We will strongly oppose coal-fired power plant to be installed elsewhere in the country,” he concluded.

FOR REFERENCE:
KAG. FLORA SALANDRON

FRANCIS MORALES

0939-4818848