“(T)he coal plant’s location is on the outskirts of the city along a coastal area at the end of Barangay Ingore, La Paz which is not overly populated as claimed by the governors.”
by Ducky Paredes
La Paz District is where the Central Philippine University, the old Domestic Airport, the Panay Power Plant, the International Port terminal and a Gaisano Mall are located. This is also where a new coal plant serving all of Panay Island will be located.
Gov. Sally Perez Chair of Antique, the Regional Development Council of Reg. 6, Gov. Carlito Marquez of Aklan, Gov. Victor Tanco Sr. of Capiz, Gov. Isidro Zayco of Negros Occidental, and Gov. Felipe Hilan Nava of Guimaras are asking for the withdrawal of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) last month to the Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC): “We are disturbed by the approval of the ECC. As leaders of the family of provinces in Region 6, we are morally obliged to present this sentiment in behalf of our constituents. We strongly petition the national leadership to recall and revoke the ECC.”
The governors say that they are not totally against coal-fired power plants “as we do recognize the need for power to bolster economic opportunities. ” But, they say that the plant site is in a thickly-populated city; thus, this puts at risk the health and lives not only of the residents of Iloilo City but also of the thousands of their own provincial constituents who are in the city either as students or workers.
Iloilo residents, point out, however, that the coal plant’s location is on the outskirts of the city along a coastal area at the end of Barangay Ingore, La Paz which is not overly populated as claimed by the governors. It is also far from the city proper where most students and workers reside.
DENR Secretary Lito Atienza adds that the proponent had met all the necessary requirements, including those on health and environmental issues, prompting the issuance of the ECC last September 1, 2008. Atienza stresses that the ECC stays unless there is a flagrant violation of the permit.
Atienza also points out that the governors should also look at the power shortage in Iloilo and consider the power needs not only of Iloilo but the whole of Panay Island as well.
Coal power is widely used in the Americas, Europe and Asian countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China, adding that these countries are not solely dependent on fossil fuel for its power needs.
Iloilo Governor Neil Tupas is the only governor on Panay who gives his full support to the coal-fired power plant.
While Tupas respects the move of the governors against the ECC of the coal-fired power plant, but points out that he is looking into the future benefits of Iloilo having additional power supply.
The governor said the province has a new and modern airport of international standards, but having frequent power brownouts would not attract investors to come in.
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Lawyer Ernesto Francisco looks like he is doing battle with the windmills when he asks the Supreme Court to return child murderer Claudio Teehankee, Jr. to the National Penitentiary.
Francisco was one of the private prosecutors who represented the families of Teehankee’s victims during the trial 15 years ago.
Teehankee was sentenced to two life terms in 1995 for the thrill-killing of Roland John Chapman and 16-year old Swedish-Filipino Maureen Hultman. He was also sentenced to 12 to 20 years in prison for the frustrated murder of Jussi Leino, who was the principal witness against Teehankee.
Everyone in the government says that the President’s power to pardon and forgive is absolute. She need not abide by any rules or consult anyone. (I agree but point out that her being given that absolute power also presumes that the President can call on her innate wisdom before using that power. What happens when the dispenser is bereft of wisdom?)
Francisco says that the Penitentiary officials recommended the grant of executive clemency and commutation of sentence of Teehankee even if, under their own rules, he did not qualify for commutation of sentence.
The DOJ and the BPP failed to comply with their own guidelines for recommending executive clemency for Teehankee. There was absolutely nothing to show that the grant of executive clemency was with the objective of “preventing a miscarriage of justice or correcting a manifest injustice.”
Secretary Gonzales also failed to give the required notices to the convicting trial judge, the private and/or public prosecuting lawyers and the offended parties.
According to Francisco, the respondents also failed to comply with the required publication in a newspaper of national circulation of the names of prisoners being considered for executive clemency in order to give the public the opportunity to file written objections.
Besides, Teehankee still had to settle the civil aspect of his sentence with respect to Chapman in the amount of P2.05 million and Leino in the amount of P4.14 million and $55,600. So, how could he be given executive clemency when, in fact, he had not yet done for his victims what the Court had ordered him to do.
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The excuse that the PNP General caught with more money (P7.5 million in euros) than he is allowed to take out of Russia was carrying official money that had been advanced for the trip falls flat.
No part of that money could be the per diem given the other police officers on the trip. That had already been given to them as soon as they left Manila. Neither could this be for their airfare or their pre-departure requirements for visas and other things; nor could this be for their hotel bills since their hotel rooms had already been properly paid, else how cold they leave Russia?
That has to be private money. I do not know how smart Russia’s port people are; if they are as sharp as the agents of the former Komityet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosty (KGB), I doubt if a Pinoy police general who is hiding anything can be a match for them.
Of course, I will not wish the KGB on anyone. The man, however, has embarrassed this country. Imagine getting caught with contraband at a meeting of the Interpol! He has to be dealt with as harshly as our laws will allow.
It is impossible that a police general does not know that one cannot bring huge bundles of money in and out of countries without declaring the amount that is brought in or taken out.
Don’t just take his word for it; we owe it to the Interpol to trace the money. How much did he have when he left the country? Was it more or less than P7.5 million in euros? If more, where did he get the additional money come from? If less, where did he spend the missing funds?
Clearly, though, this was not what was officially advanced for the trip. Advances cannot possibly still be intact at the end of the trip.
Then, the general should be asked how he came to have so much money on a policeman’s salary.
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hvp 10.17.08)
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