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Tuesday, February 10, 2004
MisOr guv joins protest v. Mindanao coal plant
By Lizanilla Amarga
MORE than a hundred protesters gathered Monday at the Provincial Capitol to demonstrate their opposition to the construction of the 210 megawatt Mindanao Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.
This came as Misamis Oriental Gov. Antonio Calingin openly declared war against those who are supporting the coal plant, estimated to cost over US$350 million.
Monday's rallyists included those from the Task Force Macajalar (TFM) and the People's Camp (Coalition Against Mindanao plant), a coalition of multi-sector groups opposing the putting up of the coal plant. Some individuals who opposed the coal plant were also around.
TFM spokesman Bencyrus Ellorin said they believe there is still hope to stop the ongoing construction of the coal plant.
This is considering there is information there would now be a reversal of the Provincial Board (PB) July 2002 endorsement of the coal plant and there are now 13 resolutions passed by the Municipality of Claveria, an adjacent town to where the coal plant is being constructed, he added.
"This is only the start," he said. Those who staged the rally were from the towns of Tagoloan, Villanueva, Claveria and Balingoan among others.
Audience
However, there was no resolution passed reversing the earlier endorsement as all the members of the PB disappeared and did not attend their regular Monday session.
Ellorin and the other co-convenors of the protesting group Lolong Magallanes sought an audience Monday with De Jesus who claims to be the acting governor of the province.
They asked De Jesus why there was no session and to tell him their rally would be done peacefully. But De Jesus told them that their rally would be useless.
"This (construction of the coal plant) has already been approved by those in the national, regional, provincial level and all those who are affected," he said in the dialect.
However, Calingin has now withdrawn his support for the establishment of this plant saying it is going to destroy the environment.
The people from his hometown have passed 13 resolutions slamming the construction of the coal plant.
"According to the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) the direct impact zone of this coal plant is about 30 kilometer radius and Claveria is only 15-17 kilometers away from where this plant is being constructed," he said.
Party decision
The governor said Claveria was not consulted by the project proponents of the coal plant and the DENR before the issuance of their environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
It was only the towns of Villanueva and Tagoloan along with the Misamis Oriental PB and Cagayan de Oro City that passed resolutions endorsing the coal plant construction.
"They did not inform the people who would be affected in this hence there is some deceit being manifested here," he said.
Calingin said he is also oppose to an environmentally hazardous plant as he only went along with it as its construction was a "party decision" made by Cagayan de Oro Mayor Vicente Emano.
"It was a party decision made by Dongkoy but karon kay gisipa naman ko niya ug gibud-hian gikalas napud nako ang akong supporta ana nga planta," he said. (It was a party decision made by Emano but since he has now kicked me out and betrayed me I am now withdrawing my support for this project.)
The governor said he also felt insulted as to how the Province of Misamis Oriental was not properly acknowledged during the ground breaking ceremony of the coal plant last January 29 at its site in Villanueva.
He said he has sent over his provincial administrator Atty. Mitchel Anayron who heard how it was only government units of Cagayan de Oro City and Villanueva that were thanked by the proponents of the coal plant.
"During the groundbreaking all the speakers never mentioned the role of the province. This coal plant should then be established at the Cagayan de Oro City Hall so that its pollution would be on Emano and his minions not on my people here in Misamis Oriental," he said.
(February 10, 2004 issue)
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