MANILA, February 23, 2009—A Catholic bishop called on his flocks to relive the spirit of Edsa 1 to block the revival of the mothballed nuclear power plant in Bataan province.
Balanga Bishop Socrates Villegas said the people must join hands to stop a government plan that not only poses as hazard to the environment, but is also unnecessary.
“Let us stand up for one another as what we did during EDSA 1986,” he said.
Villegas made the call during a prayer rally outside St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Balanga, Bataan against the commissioning of the nuclear plant on Monday, also the 23rd anniversary of People Power 1.
The bishop, the former aide of Edsa 1 icon Jaime Cardinal Sin, said lawmakers supportive of the plan is also “betraying” of the spirit of the popular uprising.
And that is the reason, he said, why people should come out again and stand up for what is right.
“We were able to put a stop to the nuclear power plant because of Edsa 1986. Reviving the nuclear power plant is therefore a betrayal of the spirit of Edsa as it again attempts to trick the nation,” he said.
Villegas also described those pushing to reopen the nuclear plant as enemies of the poor.
“They are enemies of the poor and weak. They are not our friends. They are not on the side of God. They are living for themselves only,” he said.
“Is the nuclear power plant more important to them than the people already suffering from poverty?” added Villegas.
The Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) also joined different groups in calling for a stop to any moves to revive the nuclear power plant convinced that it would endanger the lives of the Filipino people.
“It is a known fact that this project was full of anomalies and was a source of corruption during the time of President Marcos. The Filipino people were then saddled with paying for this monstrosity for close to two decades,” the group said in a statement.
The group then urged the government to focus on other alternatives for power generation that are safe, sustainable and indigenous instead of reviving the power plant.
“We are confident that in doing so, the government will eventually stop its practice of auctioning and privatizing our energy facilities and resources to private and foreign companies, like what they are doing with BNPP and other power plants,” the statement further read.
Lawmakers have been taking steps to put the plant into commission as they cite the strong possibility that there would be a power-generation shortfall by 2012 due to the country's increasing energy requirements.
Aside from providing cheap energy, proponents said the plant will also address environmental concerns as, unlike fossil fuels, nuclear energy does not emit hydrocarbons. (Roy Lagarde)
