OK Administrator Garcia What Now?

The staff of the Subic Bulletin was very optimistic for change when SBMA Chairman Garcia and the new board came into power, but we are still waiting...

So far we have been disappointed to see:

• Senior SBMA Administrators entangled in smuggling and a Senate investigation
• Worsened security including a severe spate of burglaries in residential areas
• Locators and residents lumbered with a new, possibly illegal tax called CUSA
• Increased paperwork for investors in violation of the "anti red-tape act", now requiring locators to do 3 times the paperwork for their permits

What we were hoping for was:

• Cancel the biased and unfair agreement with RP Energy that has no social acceptance
• Negotiation with the National and Local Government for some share of tax revenues
• Repair or replacement of the perimeter fence to secure the Freeport
• Cost reduction campaign in SBMA including the phased and planned reduction of SBMA employees and redeployment where possible into the private sector
• Restructure the loan with the Japanese for the underutilized port facility after all it was their idea.
• Improve the quality of the law enforcement department.
• Reduced red tape and more transparency

We are trying very hard to continue to be optimistic and supportive Chairman Garcia but you are not giving us much to hold on to.

At very least Chairman Garcia have the fortitude to cancel the Coal Fired Power Plant agreemnet completely so the Locators, Residents and local communities can see you have something to give rather than everything to take?

DOE Sec Attempts To Suppress The People

Sec Almendras, the former employee of Aboitiz now Sec of the Dept. of Energy says Govt. LGU's should be ignored.

http://www.interaksyon.com/business/41765/doe-pushes-insulation-of-power-projects-from-local-politics

We Say:

Has Sec Almendras forgotten what our national heroes fought for? Has he forgotten that the Philippines was given to the people? How dare he suggest that the will of the people be overridden so that he can better serve his former employer in pushing through their projects? He should be charged with treason!

The suggestion that the LGU’s, who, in this case, the voice of the people should be suppressed and by-passed is something one would only expect in a communist country, not a country that has already fought for its freedom! Did Sec Almendras not notice that we just celebrated National Heroes Day while he is dancing on their graves?

In the case of Subic Bay, the residents of the area have strongly opposed the construction of a Coal Power Plant, the governor of Bataan has kindly offered an alternative site with social acceptability bad Sec Almendras and his Aboitiz cronies are determined to squeeze the life out of Subic because of a suspiciously bias agreement they got signed while the former president was in Power.

If the issue was as described by Sec Almendras, about national interest, Aboitiz and Meralco would be going ahead and already building the plant in Bataan, where they have acceptance, but no it’s not about National Interest it’s about GREED. Shame on you Sec Almendras, shame on you.