A RESOLUTION STRONGLY OPPOSING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COAL-FIRED THERMAL POWER PLANT PROJECT AT SITIO NAGLATORE, BRGY. CAWAG, SUBIC, ZAMBALES
WHEREAS, the provincial and municipal officials including the people of Zambales and Olongapo City in general were not properly consulted and informed prior to the issuance of Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the proponents of the project which is in violation of the provisions of the Local Govenrment Code of 1991 and other pertinent laws of the Philippines;
WHEREAS, the officials of the Ecology Center of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) as well as the representatives from Aboitiz Power Corporation have ignored for several months now the official request from the Provincial Board (Sangguniang Panlalawigan) of Zambales (made to them during the session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan which they attended) for the list of individuals, groups/associations/non-government organizations and local government units (LGUs) that endorsed or accepted the project which caused the issuance of the ECC;
WHEREAS, the Province of Zambales, the Municipality of Subic and the Barangay of Cawag will be denied of a direct benefit from the project in form of an annual income from Real Property Tax and Special Education Fund Tax of about Five Hundred Million (P500,000,000.00) because the project is exempted from such taxes since the project site is within the SBMA area (the coal-fired thermal power plant in Masinloc pays to the province of Zambales, the municipality of Masinloc and the barangay of Bani an amount of more or less Five Hundred Million (P500,000,000.00) anually;
WHEREAS, the alleged benefits from the project to the local government units and the people in general are not well defined and expressed in black and white through a detailed memorandum of agreement to be signed by all stakeholders or parties concerned, in terms of employment, all forms of assistance to LGUs, environmental protection fund, housing and compensation to the affected families, among others;
WHEREAS, the Provincial Board of Zambales condemns in the strongest terms possible the way by which the affected families in Sitio Naglatore was removed through a very meager amount of total combined compensation of about Three Million (P3,000,000.00) and without any relocation or descent land and housing provision, which will surely convert the affected families into informal settlers within the areas along the highway at Brgy. Cawag, Subic, Zambales;
WHEREAS, the alleged measures to mitigate the expected enviromental effects, and most especially its ill effects to the health of the people of Zambales and Olongapo City have not been properly established which makes this project more so an unwelcome one since there are scientific studies and proven experiences that coal-fired thermal power plants is the single greatest contributor to the greenhouse gas emission in the United States and worldwide that resulted in climate change problem which has caused massive flooding, stronger typhoons/storms, tsunamis, among others that have resulted in deaths, damaged to properties whoch is in the end has lead to widespread poverty among peoples of the world; and the Philippines in particular;
WHEREAS, there are alternative ways to generate energy (wind, geothermal, hydrokenetics, bio-energy, solar power, among others) that are more environment friendly which the project proponent can engaged in without sacrificing the environment, the health of the people as well as the livelihood of the people and businesses within the Subic Bay area that rely on tourism and fishing;
NOW THEREFORE, upon unanimous accord of all members of the Provincial Board of Zambales in session assembled,
RESOLVED, as it is hereby resolved to strongly oppose the establishment of a coal-fired thermal power plant at Sitio Naglatore, Brgy. Cawag, Subic, Zambales;
RESOLVED FURTHER, to request the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to immediately cancel the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued to Aboitiz Power Corporation since the project lacks the social acceptability component;
RESOLVED FURTHER, for the Provincial Board of Zambales and the Board of Directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to establish a working relations and cooperation to undertake a thorough study on alternative sources of energy to ensure a continued and sufficient supply of electricity within and outside the SBMA area for investment generation;
- RESOLVED FINALLY, that copies of this resolution be finished the Prewident of the Republic of the Philippines His Excellency Benigno Aquino III; the Honorable Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; the Secretary of the DENR Honorable Ramon Paje; the Honorable Representatives Milagros Magsaysay and Antonio Diaz of Zambales 1st and 2nd District respectively; the Honorable Chairman, Administrator and Directors of SBMA; the Honorable Mayors, Vice Mayors, Councilors of the Municipality of Subic and the City of Olongapo; the concerned Non-Goverment Organizations (NGOs); the project proponents - Taiwan
