EARTHDAY FLUVIAL PROTEST OF ANTI GROUPS SENDS STRONG MESSAGE TO DAVAO LGU: “LISTEN TO YOUR CONSCIENCE!”

PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 18, 2011

EARTHDAY FLUVIAL PROTEST OF ANTI GROUPS SENDS STRONG MESSAGE TO DAVAO LGU: “LISTEN TO YOUR CONSCIENCE!”

Davao City – Davao River became the site of anti-coal groups’ protest against Aboitiz’s 300 MW Coal Fired Power Plant today as PANALIPDAN and NO TO COAL commemorated this year’s Earth Day. Boats bearing streamers showed the clear message of the group to the Davao City local government --- “LISTEN TO YOUR CONSCIENCE! OPPOSE ABOITIZ’S COAL FIRED POWER PLANT.”

“We hope our leaders will take the essence of the Earth Day to heart – that is to act prudently with the best interest of humanity in mind, in order to mitigate the impacts of our fast deteriorating world and climate. We urge strongly the Davao City Council to junk Aboitiz’s coal project as this would contribute 1.8 M tones of Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere per year, thereby adding further heat to our already feverish planet and alarming changes in climate,” said Francis Morales, secretary general of the environmental rights network PANALIPDAN - SMR.

Morales also lambasted Aboitiz’s claim that the coal plant project will result to lower electricity rates, saying it’s a mere bait to get the public’s approval.

“The deregulated power industry, no thanks to the EPIRA Law makes the government powerless to oblige upon any independent private power producer lower electricity rates. Aboitiz as profit driven company has no genuine concern for the peoples’ welfare. Never in history in the country has coal plant construction resulted to lower electricity rates such as in the case of the Sual Plant in Pangasinan and that of the case in Mauban Quezon,” said Morales.

Morales stressed that the best way to go is to rehabilitate existing power sources from hydro, geothermal and coal plants located in other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the Davao City SP Joint Committee has set the final and last hearing on the proposed P 25 B coal plant on the last week of this month or early part of May. This, however is not acceptable to the anti-coal alliance Network Opposed to COAL or NO TO COAL.

“What is the basis of setting another hearing when Aboitiz does not have any data to show yet that there is indeed an energy crisis, that there is a reason for all this hasty moves to approve such deadly source of power? Besides, Aboitiz does not have any Environmental Impact Assessment study yet so how can the Council say that it has any strong bases for approving the coal plant? The trip to STEAG or TOLEDO does not count as anything scientific, rather that trip is clouded with controversy that has not been resolved or investigated upon to date,” said Dr. Jean Lindo, convener of NO TO COAL – DAVAO.

Lindo added that in the past two committee hearings, none of the coal oppositors’ arguments on environmental and health impacts has been refuted by Aboitiz’s “battery of foreign experts.”
“If the members of the council will truly weigh the facts, then Aboitiz’s coal proposal is already a lost case. If a true health and biodiversity resource valuation study will only be conducted, then the council and the public will further see that there is no way we should compromise the welfare of the future generation to Abotiz’s coal plant,” said Lindo.

NO to COAL, members of the Paquibato District Peasant Alliance (PADIPA) together with environmental advocates from the youth and other sectors held a joint cultural program entitled “DAY OF SOLIDARITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS & CLIMATE JUSTICE” at the Freedom Park. #

FOR REFERENCE:

DR. JEAN LINDO
KAG.FLORA SALANDRON
0918-9298794