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Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Cell site in vice mayor's property opposed
By Ruby P. Silubrico
RESIDENTS of Barangay General Martin T. Delgado in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo are opposing the construction of the cell site of Sun Cellular, the mobile phone company of Digitel Communications Corp., in their village.
As of Monday, more than 200 residents living in the cell site's vicinity signed a petition to stop the construction because of its health impacts.
Lucio Espino, one of the concerned residents, said Barangay Capt. Marivic Mana-ay did not call for a public hearing for the cell site construction.
"We were not properly informed; they did not consult the majority of the populace," Espino said.
The property where the cell site stands is owned by Vice Mayor Rodulfo Delgado who, according to Espino, also failed to consult the residents regarding the construction.
Delgado, however, defended the telecommunications firm.
The vice mayor said the applicant has complied with all the requirements.
"I have nothing to do with it. I'm only the lot owner," Delgado told Sun.Star Iloilo.
He said the residents are "well-informed" on the construction plan through their village head, but they refused to attend the public hearing.
Delgado said he believes somebody is behind the residents' protest.
There is someone who wants destroy him, he said, by implicating him in the controversy.
Minutes
Based on the minutes of the meeting held at the Barangay Hall on Aug. 17, 2004, only 35 residents attended.
Present were Digitel representative Celena Suobiron; site acquisition officer Engr. Emmanuel Legaspi; Vice Mayor Delgado; and Councilor Arnulfo Sumagpao, chairman of the committee on environmental protection.
On Sept. 10, 2004, the Municipal Council unanimously approved the construction of the cellsite after the applicant presented all the required documents following an evaluation by Sumagpao's committee and by the committee on housing, land use, and subdivision.
ECC first<
But Espino said Sun Cellular's Environmental Compliance Certificate was issued on May 2004, four months before the public hearing was called.
"Supposedly, the ECC will only be released or acquired after a consultation, whether the residents approve of the construction or not. How come the ECC came first" Espino added.
In 2001, Sun Cellular applied for the construction of a cell site at Barangay Duyan-Duyan. The Municipal Council, however, disapproved the application, believing it could cause harm to the residents.
According to the residents, the radiation from the cell site can cause cancer, cataract, sterility, genetic mutation, premature aging, and eventually the shortening of life span.
However, in a 2001 study of the Department of Health (DOH) clarified that "present scientific knowledge does not prove that radiation from cellular phone transmitters could cause cancer."
DOH added "despite a series of studies abroad on the radio frequency radiation or cell sites radiation, it's not yet confirmed whether it causes cancer or not."
Still, the result of the study is inconsistent or inconclusive.
(November 23, 2004 issue)
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