From The Philippine Daily Inquirer comes the following article against our favorite energy plan. The Bugle feels that more people need to be stepping up in the fight against this Coal burning monstrosity. Even though the Bugle does not agree with the ZAMECO members decision to allow the coal burning plant in the first place maybe now they will realize that it is not in our best interests.
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Members of an electric
cooperative in Zambales have sued RP Energy, a consortium of energy firms
planning to put up a coal-fired power plant inside this free port, and the Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), saying the firm had abandoned its plan to
provide the province with cheap electricity.
Lawyer Edmund Dante Perez said members of
the Zambales Electric Cooperative (Zameco) are asking the Iba Regional Trial
Court to direct SBMA not to issue permits to RP Energy, a consortium led by
Aboitiz Power, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and Taiwan Cogeneration Corp.
(TCC).
Perez said his clients—Eric Ebarle, Roy
Obillo, Lyn Mercurio, Samuel Ablola and Citadel Dial—filed a civil case on June
5 because RP Energy had turned its back on the memorandum of understanding (MOU)
that would have benefited Zameco.
“They say [the MOU is] already expired,
but we think otherwise,” he said.
Perez said the July 28, 2006 MOU between
SBMA and TCC, RP Energy’s predecessor-in-interest, showed that Zameco would
directly benefit from the project for its reliable and affordable source of
energy.
But in July last year, after Meralco
entered the consortium and signed a shareholder agreement giving the firm
majority control of RP Energy, the complaint said “both [SBMA and RP Energy]
began espousing the theory that the February 2006 and July 28, 2006 MOUs had
either expired or were superseded by the lease development agreement dated June
8, 2010.”
“[This] means that they will no longer
honor their obligation of providing reliable and affordable energy to the
intended beneficiaries of the MOU, among which are [the complainants],” it
said.
Perez said this “perverted stance” became
more apparent in RP Energy’s letter to SBMA Chair Roberto Garcia on July 8,
2011.
In that letter, he said RP Energy
described the MOUs’ purpose as “a preliminary document.”
Zameco members asked the court to direct
SBMA not to issue any building, construction and operation permit to RP Energy
“pending the determination and translation of the objectives of the MOUs… to
provide affordable power to Zameco and other beneficiaries.”
The project has been stalled by protests
from environment advocates, business locators and government officials of
Olongapo City and Zambales, who decried its impact on the environment and the
lack of consultations.
In December last year, SBMA held a series
of stakeholder consultations on the proposed 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant
but RP Energy failed to send its representatives to discuss the project and
address the concerns of groups opposing it.
Garcia said SBMA knew that a case was
filed against the agency and RP Energy. He said RP Energy had requested for a
meeting with SBMA.
An SBMA official said the project is on
hold until RP Energy meets the conditions set for the issuance of permits and
improves the terms of the contract to ensure that this would not be
disadvantageous to the government. Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon
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All comments are posted anonymously. We don't care who you are, we just care about what you have to say. But let's keep it civil. No slander. Talk about issues, not individuals. No racism. Cool it on the profanity. Like Sinatra said, "You don't need to work blue. You'll never play the big houses with that crap."