Mayor can't veto resolution on coal plant

By Carmelle Marie Harrow and Jereco O. Paloma

Friday, June 10, 2011

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte said she will abide by the City Council's decision to allow the establishment of a 300-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant proposed by the AboitizPower Corp.

She said she can't do anything about it because as a mayor, she can only veto an ordinance approved by the City Council, and not a resolution.

The City Council overwhelmingly approved in a 23-1 vote a resolution recommending the construction of the P25-billion power project at the boundary of Barangay Binugao in Toril, Davao City and Barangay Inawayan in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.

But she warned Aboitiz to abide with all of the council's recommendations for the power company to follow before establishing the plant and during its operation.Addressing oppositors of the project, Duterte said it is now the time to move on "because the decision has already been made by the city's lawmaking-body."

To recall, Duterte initially opposed to the idea of establishing a coal-fired power plant in the city, citing its long-term negative and harmful effects to the environment.

She said she opposed the project because of her children and hundreds of thousands of children in the city.

But she later distanced herself from the issue, leaving the City Council to decide on the matter.

Majority of the councilors' reasoning are basically anchored on the economic benefits of the plant to the city, the plant's importance in sufficing the current and impending energy crisis in Mindanao, as well as the plant's reliability in terms of environmental compliance.

Manuel Orig, the firm's vice president for Mindanao affairs, has assured the city mayor that they will strictly follow all the standards set forth by the Philippine government, as well as with the international standards.

Meanwhile, two cause-oriented groups said they expected Davao City councilors to decide in favor of the power project.

Franchie Buhayan, secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Southern Mindanao Region (Bayan-SMR), in a text message to Sun.Star Davao said that "given the long standing relationship of the AboitizPower Corporation and the City Government, SP (City Council) had completely taken the propaganda line of the project proponent and that they believe that the power plant would be destructive rather than beneficial to the people and the environment."

Dr. Jean Lindo, convenor of the Network Opposed to Coal - Davao (NO to Coal), said the people have the right to demand for clean renewable and affordable sources of energy without compromising the right to a healthful environment and genuine development.

After the City Council voted 23-1 during Tuesday's regular session endorsing Aboitiz' P25-billion coal plant project, No to Coal Davao said the 23 councilors had "lame excuses" for their yes votes.

"It is utterly unacceptable that majority of our councilors voted yes for coal simply because the project is better constructed here than elsewhere for easy monitoring. This is baloney! Is Davao City seriously prepared to monitor Aboitiz's coal's mess?" Lindo said in a text message.

She said that she doubts a subsequent multipartite monitoring team will be truly transparent, given that the City Council did not even validate the genuine stand of the community residents in the coal plant site.

"23 councilors out of 24 voted yes to the coal-fired power plant. Under normal circumstances where a healthy discursive democracy exists, this is not statistically probable. This is unbelievably skewed and indicates pathology. AboitizPower may be waving their newly acquired license to pollute the city. The struggle for our right to a healthy environment continues," Lindo said.

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on June 10, 2011.