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TUESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2011 18:01 HENRY EMPEÑO / CORRESPONDENT
OLONGAPO CITY—In an apparent show of force, residents and officials of Olongapo City and Zambales province braved heavy rains on Monday and showed up for a rally and a protest march here to express their disgust over the proposed coal-fired thermal power plant project at Subic’s Redondo Peninsula.Clad mostly in black and green to show their rejection of coal power and their desire for alternative-energy sources, more than 3,000 residents filled the Rizal Triangle covered court as community leaders took turns lambasting the project, which they said will destroy the environment and local tourism, and endanger the health of the local populace.
Representatives from communities at the Subic Bay area also read statements and resolutions signifying their opposition to the 600-megawatt coal plant, which is set for construction by the Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc., a company formed by Aboitiz Power Corp., Taiwan Cogeneration Corp., and their new partner Manila Electric Co.
The protest, which was spearheaded by the multi-sectoral Olongapo-Zambales Civil Society Network (OZCSN) and the Sigaw ng Lumalabang Olongapeño (Siglo), utilized the modern wonder of social-networking sites to summon participants.
It was also attended by some political leaders, including Olongapo Mayor James Gordon Jr. and members of the Olongapo City council, Zambales First District Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Walden Bello, and Zambales Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II.
During the rally, speakers stressed the fact that communities around the project site have not signified their acceptance of the project, a prerequisite to the granting of an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“If Olongapo is anti-coal plant and Zambales is anti-coal plant as we have shown today, who then are the people that the project proponents say have approved the project?” asked Lacbain, himself a resident of Subic town, the proposed project site.
Lacbain said he is challenging the project proponents and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s Ecology Center to name the individuals and groups who purportedly approved the project.
“If they cannot prove the acceptability of the project, then they should stop forcing the people of Zambales and Olongapo to accept the same,” he said.
Lacbain added that because it was clear that there was no community acceptance, the Zambales provincial government under Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. has been urging the DENR to recall the ECC for the Subic coal plant.
Gordon said that the strong turnout of residents for the rally has provided the necessary proof to refute claims by proponents that the project has been accepted by the community, as required by law.
“We are all heroes today because we have stood up for the future of our community and our children,” Gordon said. “We want call centers here, not a coal plant. We want wind power, not coal power.”
After hearing the speakers, the protesters then proceeded to march from the Olongapo City Hall to the gates of the Subic Bay Freeport, about 5 kilometers away. But as heavy rains poured again, the group disbanded.
However, organizers said that Monday’s rally was just the start of more protest actions against the proposed coal-fired thermal power plant at Subic’s Redondo Peninsula, which also hosts the facilities of Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.
According to Alex Hermoso, lead convener of the OZCSN, several protest actions are forthcoming, even as oppositors are beefing up their ranks in anticipation of bigger mobilizations ahead.
Hermoso said that aside from affected communities and local nongovernmental organizations, those who are opposing the project now include tourism-related locators in the Subic Bay area, members of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau, and residents of the Binictican and Kalayaan housing areas in the Subic free port.
“The fight against the coal-fired plant is just beginning,” Hermoso said. “The proponents and supporters of the coal-fired power plant have seen nothing yet.”
In Photo: Protest placards by residents of the Subic Bay area express their rejection of the proposed 600-megawatt coal-power plant, a joint project of the Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc., a company formed by Aboitiz Power Corp., Taiwan Cogeneration Corp., and their new partner Manila Electric Co. Olongapo residents wore black to show opposition to the coal plant and green to clamor for renewable-energy sources. Young people joined their elders to show their opposition. (Henry Empeño)
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