RP Energy Lies Again!

As reported in the Subic Bulletin, the ever elusive executives from RP Energy made claims on the September 12 meeting with Locators that prior to any excavation or land works they placed silt curtains along the shoreline to prevent damage to the Subic Bay, however photos uncovered by The Subic Bulletin clearly shows landworks on the RP Energy site underway with no curtains in the water protecting the bay and silt flooding into the water.

If RP Energy is going to lie about simple things like this how can we believe that they will run the plant in a "clean" configuration? Clearly RP Energy has profit before Subic in their agenda, Why has the DENR or SBMA not stepped in and finned them?

RP Energy Executives in Hiding - SBMA Wants Out.

Comment on from a reader on: "RP Energy Violates & Defies Our Community."

Ray Cunningham and RP Energy, these gutless cowards, hide behind the skirts of their attorneys to avoid honest discourse. Their slogan is "profit over people!"

We are the 99%!

THE SUBIC BULLETIN: I think we were all surprised when the RP Energy executives failed to keep their promise of facing the locators of Subic Freeport.

It is very clear that the vast majority of people don't want the Coal Plant, Ray Cunningham and his buddies may have been able to gain the political influence to curb policies and break rules but during last week’s meetings there was enough data tabled to run these guys out of town for good.

RP Energy is in Violation of their MOU with SBMA. The SBMA board of directors is clearly not happy with the deal and wish RP Energy would go away, but we can fully appreciate that the SBMA Board does not want to expose SBMA to a long and protracted legal case with RP Energy so they are clearly trying to show RP Energy the door in a very polite way.

Should RP Energy continue its arrogant stand and refuse to get the message there is still a trump card SBMA can play. RP Energy is assuming that SBMA will follow the guidelines laid out for the rest of the country for emissions, however these levels are quite high, so SBMA is quite entitled to set its own maximum allowable emission levels. Should SBMA set those levels low enough it would be unrealistically expensive to operate the plant in Subic.

We think the SBMA board knows that they hold this trump card but are hoping RP Energy retains some dignity and cancels the project in the interest of the community.

Subic Container Port's Chicken-Eg​g Problem

Comment from a reader:
 SBMA Chairman Garcia describes the lack of business at, and resultant lack of revenue from, Subic's container port as a chicken-egg problem--the problem being how to encourage shipping lines to stop at Subic when a lack of cargo to load and discharge at Subic discourges them from stopping at Subic. It is a chicken-egg problem because the ostensible reason for the lack of cargo at Subic's container port is because shippers of cargo do not ship through Subic, and the ostensible reason for that-- for the shipper's failure to ship through Subic-- is because the shipping lines do not stop at Subic. Meantime, the obligation to repay SBMA's $158 million seaport loan has, after a ten year grace period, commenced this year, posing a real threat of impoverishing SBMA.

Container ships on the Hong Kong-U.S. West Coast trade typically return from the U.S. to Hong Kong loaded mostly with empty containers. I would expect that space for storing idle containers in crowded Hong Kong is limited, yet there is a need to have a ready supply of empty containers close at hand, to meet fluctuations in demand for containers. SBMA, in concert with the container port's operators, should offer shipping lines who load or discharge cargo at Subic, free storage of empty containers at Subic, together with free unloading and loading of the empty containers which the shipping line stores at Subic. Such an offer would be limited to shipping lines that agree to make regularly scheduled stops at Subic to unload and discharge cargo. The costs involved would be defrayed by restricting free storage of containers to a limited period of time-- after the expiration of that period, a storage fee would be charged.
This arrangement would take advantage of Subic's advantages--idle cargo handling equipment, empty container storage yards, competitive labor costs, and close proximity to Hong Kong. Containers might even stored on the idle Subic Raceway, adjacent to the container yards.

In this way, Subic's container port's business could be built up to where it is self-sustaining. After regular ship visits are established, and the container yard filled with inbound and outbound loaded containers, the empty container storage program could be phased out. Comments, anyone?

RP Energy Violates and Defies Our Community

It’s no surprise that the big firms behind the coal fired power plant in Subic think that they can railroad the Subic Communities but does Ray Cunningham from RP Energy also think we are stupid?

His latest statement that there is only minor opposition to the Coal Fired Power Plant is absurd and if that was the case why is he afraid to face the community?

This week SBMA organized a series of meetings across 3 days for all sectors to discuss opposition to the plant, if the opposition was minor and financial the meeting would have been an ideal opportunity to turn them community around, right?

The fact is that RP Energy attended the first day and realized that the community was united, consistent and holding a strong position against the power plant, so much so that RP Energy ran away and failed to turn up for the rest of the meetings.

Was it a case of bruised egos or a case of "if I can't get my own way I will take my bat and ball and go home".

There is no doubt to all observing this situation that RP Energy has no place in Subic, they have:

1) Violated their MOA with SBMA

2) Failed to take steps to protect the environment

3) Only provided reports that are slanted

4) Ignored environmental concerns

5) Ignored health concerns

6) Failed to deliver the benefits promised to the community

It was revealed by members of the SBMA board this week that RP Energy will only pay P1M per year in rent and only employ 150 people. This is an insult to our intelligence that anyone would agree with their project.

GO AWAY RP ENERGY YOU ARE NOT WANTED HERE!

Pumping Water Kills the Bay

Question from a reader:

I have two queries regarding the claim reported in the article "Subic Bay, Soon to be a Dead Bay?" that discharging water circulated through the power plant would be akin to flushing Subic Bay with distilled water, with negative effects on marine life in the Bay:

1) Every time it rains over the Bay, the Bay is flushed with distilled water. How would this be any different?
2) The water in the Bay off the site of the power plant is 150 feet deep. How could water discharged from the power plant make any difference in this vast volume of water?


Thanks for your question, adding rainwater to the surface of the bay is has a far lesser effect than sucking millions of gallons of water out of the bay, killing everything in it and then pumping the dead water back. Additionally rainwater is not constant and nature recovers from such additions. Permanently pumping the water 24/7 through the bay has a far more significant, far more damaging effect.
If you have ever owned a swimming pool you may understand the difference in the two.

Subic Bay - soon to be DEAD BAY?

We read with interest the letter of response written by SBMA Chairman Bobby Garcia to Alex Hermoso regarding the RP Energy funded Coal Fired Power Plant planned for Redondo peninsula.

If you haven't yet read it CLICK HERE to view it.

In his letter Chairman Garcia says:

“...Rest assured, the SBMA is very much aware of the opposition mounted by the various stakeholders to the project. In response, the SBMA, in cooperation with the key entities behind the project, have been exerting efforts to include additional measures for efficiency, safety and environmental soundness of the project to better achieve its purposes as an environment friendly power generation project..."

We must commend the efforts Chairman Garcia and the new SBMA board in tackling some of the tough issues they have inherited, but this task seems to be made much more difficult because of the misinformation and propaganda being fed to them by RP Energy.


On September 9 RP Energy gave the SBMA board their "dog and pony" show, presenting how little effect the power plant would have by focusing on air emissions. According to observers there were a few questions from the SBMA board and RP Energy breezed through its show, with a lack of experts present there was not much of a challenge.

This was not the case on September 12 when RP Energy attempted the same "show" on Freeport locators.

Although RP Energy wanted to focus on air emissions, locators, especially those from the tourism sector were more interested to discuss the visual impact and damage below the water line.

RP Energy admitted to locators that they did not have answers to these concerns, that in fact the major concerns of the tourism sector were very real and largely being ignored by all concerned.

RP Energy claims that the effect on the water is minimal because the water around the power-plant will only be 3 degrees hotter than the rest of the bay and showed models of the heat drift only at neutral tide. This is however not the main damage that the power-plant does to the water of the bay.

As pointed out my a marine biologist from one Subic Bay Locator, the water sucked into the powerplant contains plankton, microorganisms and miniature marine life that is essential to the ecosystem of the bay. While RP Energy claims fishing will not be effected in the bay as fish will not get sucked into the water intakes this is a complete perversion of the facts.

Without plankton and the micro marine eco system the water is DEAD, the fish will certainly go away to find new feeding grounds, the corals and sponges will starve and the fish infested wreaks that thousands of divers come to see in Subic Bay will lay deserted.

The water that is sucked in at thousands of gallons per hour to the power-plant is heated to extreme temperatures while cooling the 800 degree plant before being dumped back into the bay, heating the bay water to high temperature destroys everything within the water, it breaks the eco system. When the water comes out of the power-station it is similar to distilled water, it has been divested of all minerals and living things.

Having a power-station at the mouth of Subic Bay is like flushing Subic Bay with Distilled water, as the incoming tide comes in, dead water from the power-plant is circulated into the bay, breaking the ecosystem. At the September 12 meeting representatives of RP Energy admitted that this is the case and that there "is nothing they can do about it", killing the marine life was essential to generating power.

While pumping hundreds of thousands of liters of dead water into the ocean is one thing, pumping it into the mouth of the most famous "protected" bays in Asia that is heralded as a tourism destination is repugnant.

Representatives of the Tourism sector begged RP Energy that if they must build a power-plant to not build it facing into a bay, not discharge into our inland waterway, to move it outside of the bay,  but representatives of RP Energy declared that the site is not perfect and does have some serious downsides but they insisted the location was chosen for them by SBMA, it is not their choice of site.

While RP Energy keeps saying "there is nothing we can do about it", maybe there is something that Chairman Garcia and the SBMA board can do about it, THEY CAN SAVE OUR BAY!

Chairman Garcia, respectfully, there is simply no way this can be an "environmentally sound project", the belief that it can be expressed in your letter indicates the project has been pushed through without the SBMA board being given all the information that it should have been, you have taken steps that we all applaud to ensure this doesn't happen again, but the construction on the current site should not be allowed to proceed. If it is beyond your power to stop the construction of the power-plant altogether then please please please MOVE IT AWAY FROM THE BAY WATERS!

Kalayaan no Longer Secure

Comment from a reader:

When Kalaklan bridge was closed for one year during construction of new bridge, SBMA decided to open up passage through Kalayaan subdivision. We were told this was temporary untill the new bridge will open. As of Sept 2011 the passage for anyone is still open, there are some signs that you can not enter east+west Kalayaan, but no guards or checks. I think this contradict the subdivision policy, as since 1993 access to Kalayaan have been restricted to residents here. Today there are at times heavy traffic and very noicy and polluting for residents especially near main roads. Also there are signs in gates that smokebelchers are not allowed, but no actual checks of same, same for motorbikes without silencers.

This is also a security matter when 5 times as many cars enter the subdivision.

[The Subic Bulletin] Yesterday we observed convoys of pickups passing through the subdivision with workers loaded in the back. At the checkpoint no ID's were asked for. Whats to stop these vehicles passing through loaded with undocumented workers stopping off in the subdivision?

Monkeys Attracted to the Rubbish

Comment from a Reader:


Yes, the monkeys were here before all of us and we should be pleased that Subic Bay is one of the few places where wild monkeys can still be seen in the Philippines (but we have the Americans to thank for that).

And I agree that there is an issue, but the issue is with the humans and not the monkeys. The principal problem, as I see it, is with domestic rubbish (garbage) which provides a food source for the monkeys. It's not unusual to see them patrolling on collection day because being superb opportunists they soon learn when to take advantage. Of course, if they were denied access to the rubbish then they wouldn't bother with it and would confine their activities to the fruit on the trees.

However, there are a considerable number of residents within Subic who just don't seem to be bright enough to make the connection that if you place your rubbish in open top bins or even worse, in plastic sacks, then the monkeys will rifle through it all and scatter your rubbish all over the place. Really, it seems to me that the monkeys are considerably brighter than some of the residents.

Once a food source has been provided the monkeys will then start to look for it, even if that means raiding houses.

Even more serious are those that actively encourage the monkeys and feed them. I've not seen or experienced this myself but I believe it goes on.

If the SBMA really wanted to make a difference and improve the monkey/resident relationship they could start by ruthlessly enforcing the rules and fining those who fail to properly secure their rubbish. But we all know that's not going to happen.

It's the humans that need controlling, not the monkeys

Is Kite Power the Answer

Comment from a reader:

A solution to the problem of air pollution from the coal fired power plant lies just offshore from the site of the new power plant on Redondo Peninsula--in the deep, slow moving tidal currents coursing through the entrance of Subic Bay.

Minesto, a Swedish firm, has developed a new method--a sea kite--for harnessing the energy of tidal currents. Go to:
http://www.robaid.com/tech/minestos-underwater-kite-could-harness-tidal-energy.htm;http://minesto.com/

There are currently two tidal energy systems being employed around the world. One is tidal barrages, which use technology similar to that found in hydropower stations, and the other is tidal stream systems, which use the motion of the tide and work like wind turbines.

The sea kite--called "Deep Green"--consists of a 3-foot-long turbine attached to a rudder and 39-foot wingspan tethered to the ocean floor with a 330 foot cable. Compared to other tidal energy designs, this sea kite is small, which means its turbine rotates fast and functions better in greater depths. Anchoring and steering the sea kite allows it to capture much more energy. The kite travels 10 times faster then the water it operates in, resulting in 1000 times more energy.

While the tide forces the kite to move, an automatic rudder system controls the device's trajectory. The control system also monitors for depth, turbulence, and large objects nearby. To avoid interference with ship traffic, and for environmental concerns, Minesto says the kites would also "fly" at least 65 feet below the surface.

Once operational, each Deep Green kite is expected to generate 500 KW of power while it glides with the tide.

Deep Green requires a minimum depth of water of 60 meters. It just so happens that 63 meters is the depth of the water directly off
Macmany Point at the mouth of Subic Bay. If an array 12 sea kites were installed on the ocean floor at that location, their output would equal that of the 600 KW coal fired power plant, but without the air pollution.

How to accomplish this? The National Government should enact a law granting the operators of the new coal fired plant a credit against their tax liabilities in the amount of all expenditures made by the operators for the installation, maintenance, and repair of an array of these sea kites at the mouth of Subic Bay. To replace the revenues lost, the National Government should impose a tax on the new power plant which would be due if minimum emissions levels are exceeded, commencing when the new coal fired plant goes on line. This will provide an incentive to the operators of the coal plant to install the sea kites. Once the sea kites start generating power, the tax on emissions will encourage the operator of the plant strive to generate power using the sea kites, instead of coal, reducing emissions. However, it can be expected that the sea kites will experience some teething problems. Moreover, power from the sea kites will fall, but predictably so, during periods of 'slack water'. The coal fired plant can serve as a backup, assuring reliability of the power supply to customers.

The National Renewable Energy Board already has a petition pending before the Energy Regulatory Commission seeking approval of a tariff of 17.65 Php/kWh for electricity from ocean sources. Go to: http://www.evc.gov.ph?pdf/NREBPetition-FIT).pdf

For a description of how circulating fluidized bed coal fired plants can be "cycled" to take into account fluctuations in power provided by renewable sources, go to: http://www.johnkengineering.com/techinfo.htm#_Cycling_Operation_of

How did a Power Plant end up in a PROTECTED AREA?

At Mondays meeting between PR Energy representatives and Subic Freeport locators, representatives repeatedly stated that Redondo Penninsula was zoned industrial by SBMA, but when did that happen?

In 2000 SBMA created a master plan for Subic Bay which focused activities in the Freeport of Tourism and Light industry. The Redondo Penninsula was declared as a protected buffer zone to protect the asset of the environment so Subic Bay could flourish as a tourism destination. Many Subic Bay locators including Ocean Adventure declared that this was the basis for them investing in Subic Bay.

The management team assigned to manage the "protected" area was also the SBMA board of directors. A huge conflict of interest one might say.

In 2010, when Aboitiz was pushing to build a power plant inside SBMA territory, as according to Aboitiz Chairman ECC certificates are easier to get from Freeport Zones than from LGU's the SBMA board amazingly decided to "rezone" a protected area to "Heavy Industrial" just to accommodate the Power Plant project which is now under the Meralco lead RP Energy consortium.

But what happened to the sworn duties of the SBMA board to act as the Protected Area Management Committee? did the shining dollars distract them from their duty to manage the protected area?

More importantly did the SBMA board sit as the Protected Area Management Committee and consider the best interests of redondo peninsula and Subic Bay before filling a resolution for it to no longer be a protected area? According to SBMA representatives there is no record of this.

How can the same team set up to mange a protected area decide to make it a heavy industrial area without due process?

When this questions was asked to RP Energy officials at Monday meetings there response was shocking!

They said "We can not continue this discussion without legal advice!"

SBMA has now a new board and feedback from all quarters is that this is one of the best board of directors we could have hoped for, so we hope that the current board of directors will put on their Protect Area Management Committee hats and ask how the previous board could have rezoned the very land they were entrusted to protect, especially without the consent of investors that had come in to the area on the basis of the protected area.
We understand that the current board has a lot of things to clean up but this issue needs their attention.

Terrorized by Monkeys in Your Own Home

Question from a reader:

I am sure many living at the various Heights in Subic have the same problem as we have.

This morning a metal screen on the patio door was 'smashed' by the MONKEYS, it was scratched and destroyed.

Increasingly they are causing more and more damage.

Folks are saying that if they leave a window open the monkeys get into the house and cause huge damage, disruption and smash bottles to get at their contents.

Increasingly they are aggressive, they stare at you from a short distance and show their teeth menacingly.

This must frighten children.

 

My questions are.

1.    What are other peoples experiences.

2.   What is the position SBMA take regarding the monkeys

3.    I understand the monkeys are protected by SBMA.

4.    Are there any circumstances where a CULL could be arranged by SBMA and would they carry this out.

 

Typically SBMA wont do anything but say, well the monkey were here first and we are in their home. However, in most cases when bad behavior is experienced by the monkeys there is a ring leader, once he is removed they all move on, which has on occasions forced residents to take their own course of action to resolve the problem.

For residents inside Subic Bay Freeport there is a Facebook group that was started by Kalayaan Resident JC Delos Reyes to discuss issues like this here is the link http://www.facebook.com/SubicBayResidents

SPED School May Drag Down The Gifted Children

Comments from a reader:

I don't believe the call for an SBMA investigation into SPED will go anywhere, as I suspect the children of influential base officials are enrolled there.

A couple of points to consider:
Does the Tagalog requirement mean that some of the classes are taught in that language? Foreign students who will later attend high school and college outside of the Philippines need an education that is well grounded in English, not Tagalog.
If students are being admitted based upon ties of family or friendship rather than intellectual capability, this suggests that the level of instruction must be lowered and the pace of learning slowed. A truly gifted child would be stifled in such an environment
It may be that the education of foreign students would be better served at Brent or Montessori.

Lessons are primarily in English so the effected parents were dumbfounded as to why such a high importance was placed on Tagalog.

The "failure" in Tagalog was not that the students could not speak Tagalog just that they did not score high marks for Tagalog eg score of 78/100, the children rejected where all fluent Tagalog speakers but as they were fluent in multiple languages they were not as strong in Tagalog as children who ONLY spoke Tagalog. Must be the only school in the world that disadvantages children for speaking multiple languages!

Your point is very valid that as the level of education is being lowered to accommodate friends and family children are better off elsewhere, lucky that the Subic Bay Freeport has Brent, Montessori and don't forget FIRST, all excellent schools that can help the gifted children to shine.

Manafacturers Need to be More Socially Responsible

Two weeks ago, The Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce President came out with a statement that businesses were divided over the construction of the Coal Fired Power Planet, however the explanation for any businesses to want such a plant was that manufacturers needed more cheap electricity. If this is the case then maybe heavy manufacturing does not belong in Subic, which is a top tourist destination but belongs in places like Laguna or Clark, you want power for your manufacturing take it away somewhere else.

A few days later it was revealed that Subic Bay Locators would not get a direct feed from the power plant but are to be forced to get their power from the grid like everyone else.

All we can say to these people is "that is what you get when you make deals with the devil!"

Although some local manufacturing companies were initially behind the project they too found out that they had been deceived and that there would be no direct power supply from the plant. Chandra Anamirtham, President of Hitachi Global Storage Systems Philippines who employs some 7,000 Filipinos told The Subic Bulletin last Wednesday morning that "manufacturing companies need to make themselves more energy efficient" he went on to say "social responsibility comes from reducing energy consumption without reducing production, it is possible for manufacturers to make themselves far more energy efficient".

Maybe some of our Subic Locators could take the lead from Mr Anamirtham.

Rally Today in Olongapo

While the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce seems no longer interested in the fight against the Coal Fired Power Plant in Subic Bay describing it as a "lost fight" many others have reaffirmed their commitment to stopping this project which has no local support at all.

OLONGAPO CITY – Residents of this city are poised to hold a huge rally today, August 29, to oppose the construction of a coal plant at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ), formerly the biggest US Naval Base in Asia and the Pacific.

Multi-sector groups led by Sigaw ng Lumalabang Olongapeno (SIGLO) and Save Subic Bay, an environmental organization created to protect Olongapo and Subic Bay, other non-government organizations (NGOs), city government employees, students, barangay officials and residents, local businessmen, workers, church, and transport groups are appealing to President Benigno Aquino III to stop the negotiated deal between the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the consortiums of the Aboitiz group, Meralco, and a Taiwanese firm to build a 600 MW coal-fired power plant in the Redondo Peninsula, Sitio Naglatore, Barangay Cawag, Municipality of Subic, Zambales. The area is nestled along the world renowned Subic Bay and part of SBFZ.

Local environmentalists and health experts have warned of the hazards that a coal-fired power plants cause on humans and the environment.

Dr. Arturo Mendoza, head of the James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital and member of the Olongapo Medical Society, said the project’s proponents have failed to assure the public on the safety of the coal-fired power plant. He explained that even in the United States, existing coal-fired power plants are being phased out because of concrete proofs about their ill-effects on human body and the environment.

Councilor Eduardo Piano, chairman of the committee on environmental protection of the Sanggunian Panglunsod ng Olongapo and one of the organizers of the planned protest rally who formally requested for the use of Rizal Triangle as venue of protest rally said that the plant will endanger the lives of thousands of Olongapo and Zambales residents.

“The plant’s operation will cause pollution and damage the ecosystem including the marine life of Subic Bay,” Piano expressed.

“There are good and bad investments. Yes, we need investors in Subic and Olongapo but not this kind. Our government should be investing in its people to make them productive and not to put their lives at risk,” Piano added.

SIGLO Chairman, Mike Pusing, explained that Olongapo and Subic do not stand to benefit at all with the electric power to be generated from the plant.

“The power distribution lines will merely pass through Subic and serve the Luzon grid. In short, Olongapo residents and SBFZ locators would still have to pay for expensive electricity while the rest of Luzon will enjoy cheap power rates, sleep safe and sound while we are wide awake in fear of the danger that stare us in the face,” Pusing said.

Pusing added that the project will turn Olongapo and Subic residents into a “sacrificial lambs in the altar of vested interest of the rich and powerful electric power distributors.”

City Mayor James “Bong” Gordon, Jr. gave a permit to the rally organizers saying Olongapo residents are free to express their sentiments over issues that concern their welfare.

The participants of the rally are set to assemble and hold a program at the Rizal Triangle Park and covered court and then will march to SBMA gate. Expected to attend the rally are AKBAYAN party-list representative Walden Bello, Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel, and artist-environmentalist Noel Cabangon.

Industrial Sabotage Robs Kalayaan Residents of Cable TV

Over the last week the services of Freeport Cable have been off more than on. Following the cutting of the FCI CATV feeder cable to Kalayaan FCI spent thousands of dollars to replace cables that had been deliberately cut. If that wasn't bad enough as soon as the cables were replaced, new cable cuts were made, one even quite close to the LED outpost.

Its hard to imagine why someone would want to destroy the CATV services in Kalayaan, are they disgruntled over their service or trying to sell satellite service? Whatever the reason we hope the LED officers can be more alert to the culprits who were described by FCI Chairman as "nasty elements who mean to do harm".

Lets hope the LED can bag these culprits and bring them to justice...

Will LGU's get dirty DENR to pull the ECC

A week or two ago it was all over the TV that the local DENR officials were caught red handed taking bribes to issues ECC clearances. Yet what has the government done to investigate the dirtiest of all ECCs, the coal fired power plant that is being thrust upon our community? Local Government officials are declaring objection almost on a daily basis but it seems the payoffs were too high up the tree well out of there reach.

Should not the Ombudsman step in at this point and clear the confusion?.

from yesterdays Manila Bulletin:

IBA, Zambales, Philippines — The provincial government here urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to cancel the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) it issued for the Subic coal-fired power plant as Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. denied Tuesday a report misstating his support for the project.

“That report doesn’t have any shred of truth in it,” Ebdane said. “In fact, I have just signed Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution No. 2011-149, which categorically stated our strong opposition to the establishment of a coal-fired plant at Cawag, Subic Zambales.”

Ebdane said the Zambales provincial board passed the resolution opposing the coal plant project proposed for construction at the Redondo Peninsula on August 1. He approved the same resolution on August 10, the governor added.

The office of Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II also stressed that the provincial board “remains in strong opposition” to the project proposed by the Redondo Peninsula Energy Incorporated (RP Energy), a company formed by Aboitiz Power Corp., Taiwan Cogeneration Corp., and Manila Electric Company.

SPED School Racist and Nepotistic!

We have received several complaints from parents who applied to have their children admitted to the SPED school in Kalayaan.

For those that don’t know SPED is a government funded elementary school for gifted children, that is children with above average intelligence.

As class sizes are kept to a minimum, limited slots are available so children are put through an “entrance exam” and evaluation, including an IQ test. It has however become the practice of the school staff to manipulate the presentation of the results and make excuses so their own children or children of their friends and relatives qualify before others, especially disadvantaging children with foreign blood.

This year many children who had one foreign parent were failed only on the basis that the children where "not good in Tagalog” with the schools principle asserting herself in a most demeaning and racist way saying “we are in the Philippines you know” to foreign investors residing in the Freeport. 

To disqualify 5 year old children who have qualified in intellectual terms because they don’t live in a 100% Filipino family is outright racist!

Clearly, for a 5-10 year old gifted child, (spoken at home level of) proficiency in Tagalog is not the measurement of intelligence or the child's potential. Are the teachers of SPED so pathetic that they believe Tagalog is the sign or of a gifted child? We decided to dig deeper and it seems the children that are accepted are more frequently the children who are friends and relatives of the teachers.

Now maybe some people might say they are just getting the best for their kids but we say they a cheating the government by displacing genuinely gifted children so they can steal a higher level of education for their friends and family. It’s theft of services, nothing less.

We don’t know what the terms of the lease are for SPED, but SBMA should open an investigation as to why so many qualifying children of investors are being cheated out of the value of a Freeport facility, a facility that would surely be an attraction to investors with families.

Why are these teachers and the principle not being properly monitored by the education department?

High Fuel Prices Inside the Freeport

Comment from a reader on gas prices in Subic:

What happened to the idea that gas should be cheaper on SBMA due to its status as a freeport zone. Lately, gas at the Total, Petron and Bloom stations has averaged two pesos per liter higher than stations in Olongapo and Barretto, and up to three pesos more than outlets on Clark. Only Subic Gas at the Kalaklan Gate has, so far, stayed out of the greed-fest. The stations noted should be avoided until they adopt reasonable pricing standards.

and another:

Has anyone noticed that gas prices on SBMA are P2 higher than in Baretto and Subic?

Not too long ago gas prices were always 5-7 pesos cheaper on SBMA.

Why the price switch??

For those of you that aren't aware the Petron gas station is one of the only Petron stations in the Philippines that carries non Petron fuel. We were informed by a gas retailer that the standard unleaded is actually the local gas from inside the Freeport same as Freeport oil sells. We asked the retailer about this because we noticed that gas mileage from gas purchased from the Petron inside the Freeport was much less than gas purchased outside and also had a negative effect on the injectors of imported cars. They somehow justify delivering a substandard product because of tax issues and the hassle to claim back tax that has already been paid, but as the writers here points out the benefit of the tax savings is not passed on to the consumer.

Is Club Morocco to blame for the mudslide?

 Comment from a reader:

In regards to the recent tragic mudslides destroying more than 100 houses in Baragay Asinan near Subic Town:

Mayor Jefferson Khonghun said "officials would also investigate whether a nearby upscale residential complex might have built a canal diverting rainwater toward the village...". The only upscale development in that area is Santa Lucia Realty's Club Morocco situated on the Northern edge of Subic Bay. Anyone driving past Club Moroccos main gate can see the lack of environmental consciousness that Santa Lucia possesses. They have clear cut and completely stripped the upper mountainside.

During the rainy season hundreds if not thousands of tons of mud and slit flow down the mountainside directly into Subic bay.The same person driving that road can easily see the mud and slit suffocating the bay. The marine life is being decimated. It is nothing short of an environmental disaster. How the DENR ever issued Santa Lucia a ECC is beyond comprehension. So it would nor surprise me at all if the Mayors official investigation shows a blatant disregard for people or property from this company of no honor, nor social or environmental consciousness. Talk with any old timer who lived in the area before Santa Lucia bought and developed. They will tell you this part of Subic Bay was pristine: not polluted, with crystal clear waters and fine sand beaches.

Another thought. Exequiel D. Robles, President/CEO and Vicente R. Santos, Executive Vice President of Santa Lucia Realty&Development, Inc. will frequently during the summer fly their private helicopter to Club Morocco for an hour or two for a meal or a visit. Has either recently come to survey the mudslide adjacent to their development and perhaps offer condolences or help to their displaced neighbors? No, I did not think so. To busy waiting for a tee time to open up on their favorite links.

The Subic Bulletin: We couldn't help but share your feelings when we heard Santa Lucia Realty's Attorney say that its not there problem and they have no liability because it didn't happen on their property. Whether he made that statement out of ignorance, stupidity or arrogance he sure got the disapproval of Mayor Khonghun.

Why can't SBMA run a set of traffic lights?

We recieved the photo below from a reader who was informing us that trees were blocking the view of the new traffic lights at the Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge, however after only a couple of days the traffic lights were no longer working.

Are the lights to suffer the same fate as the lights at Royal shopping mall and remain blacked out?

One of the nice things about Clark Freeport Zone is that the traffic lights are new and they work. If CDC can do it surely SBMA can?