I would like to share to everyone a press statement by the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM – Philippines) regarding the recent termination of more than 30 Filipino teachers under the East Baton Rouge School District in Louisiana.
Press Statement
June 10, 2009
Migrant teachers’ rights should be protected
The Partido ng Manggagawa (Labor Party – Philippines) is deeply concerned about the welfare of Filipino teachers who are deployed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We have an ongoing probe into the plight of these migrant Filipino teachers. Our party is saddened that they have been subjected to iniquitous treatment and are still expose to very hard circumstances.
Leaving their families back home to be able to pursue the American dream, these teachers risked everything thinking that their credentials and talents will get them through.
Definitely, these people have discovered that following this dream is not at all easy. Hard work, it seems, is not even enough. In their case, they have to put themselves and their families in deep indebtedness, risk all their families’ resources for a shot at their dream of being financially successful in the future.
What is mainly pulling them down, however, is their being subject to a manipulative placement agency whose only objective it seems is to squeeze the maximum payments from them. What the agency is employing is clearly a form of debt bondage. Universal Placement International, headed by Lourdes Navarro, has put in place a web of policies and measures to ensure that these teachers would all be fully dependent upon the agency. Navarro employs threats, intimidation and deceit to ensure conformity from these teachers.
Many of these teachers are left with no choices but to kowtow to the placement agency’s whims as they are threatened by Navarro that she can have them fired. In many opportunities she makes it a point to assert to the teachers that she can influence some people in the EBR school district.
While, this is clearly a manipulative tactic utilized by Navarro, we can not blame the teachers from feeling threatened as it is the future of their respective families that are at stake.
Now, what makes this more distressing is the fact that at least 34 of these teachers have been terminated by the school district. We are anxious about the welfare of these Filipino workers.
Upon review of the circumstances leading to their termination, we believe that the process the school district employed may have violated the rights of these workers or at the very least has lapses that could have been handled better.
For one, there is lack of transparency as to the process of evaluation of these teachers’ performance. According to several teachers we talked to, there are no clear cut guidelines or procedure as to what can constitute termination and what the correct process should be.
Further, the school district should know fully well that foreign teachers will encounter issues related to differences in culture. The school district can not also discount the fact that aside from being in a new environment, the usual support system of these teachers, which are their family and friends, is not around.
While there maybe mentorship or training opportunities available for the teachers, some of those teachers who were terminated arrived in the latter part of 2008 and were not yet able to undergo these trainings. Take note that most of those terminated have been exposed to US schools for only less than a year.
As many of these teachers are in an adjustment phase, we believe that other constructive options were not seriously considered. A good example would be a transfer program in which teachers can be reassigned to other schools within the district where they may be able to perform better based on each teacher’s strengths and weaknesses.
And the fact that the school district, according to its associate superintendent for human resources, Elizabeth Duran Swinford, erroneously stated the reason for the termination of some teachers as “noncompliant” and will have them “refired” leaves a bad taste in the mouth. If they are taking these matters seriously, how come that the most important information on the termination papers, which is the rationale behind the termination, is wrong?
The school district’s action of terminating these teachers in a hasty process suggests that they treat labor, particularly migrant labor, as a commodity that can easily be disposed of. These teachers are human beings and they have families to feed and children to send to school.
We want to make it clear that we are not asking that special treatment be afforded to Filipino teachers. What we are advocating is the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and the whole laboring sector.
Lastly, PM strongly believes that labor rights are human rights and we believe that regardless of residence status, these rights should be guaranteed to all workers. Citizen, migrant or whatever your status maybe, the rights of a worker should be respected. ###
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Struggle of Filipino Migrant Teachers
(I am sharing below an open letter that summarizes the plight and the struggles of Filipino Migrant Teachers in the US. You can check out their blog at http://www.pinoyteachershub.blogspot.com/. By any means, let us support their cause.)
An open letter to our fellow Filipino Migrant Teachers
Why we need to act together.
We left our country to work in a foreign land. Many of us were reluctant to leave our families and communities behind but the promise of a brighter future for us and our children led us to where we are now. We are here because we are trying to secure a life that is full of opportunities, not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones.
In the pursuit of our aspirations, we encountered challenges but we always resolved to face these problems for we know that a persistent attitude is the only way to go forward. Before we made our decision to come here, many of us were faced with the dilemma of leaving our families – sacrificing the company of our respective spouses and kids for a shot at the future.
Before we came here, we have to hurdle several interviews, seminars and backbreaking reviews and examinations. Many of us were short in finances but we sold our properties or even placed ourselves deep in debt so as not to derail our plans to become financially stable in the future.
In short, we gave all that we could, so we can start building a dream for ourselves and our families. We discovered however that the beautiful pictures that were painted in our imagination are not as what they seem to be. Now we discovered that the Recruitment and Placement Agency who we entrusted with our dreams is not acting with the best, or in fact not even a fraction, of our interests in mind.
Firstly, there was a lack of transparency in the process that we underwent as we are preparing our documents for our deployment here. The fees and charges were not even clear to us as the agency seems to invent new ways to empty our pockets every week. Many of us were not even able to read and study our contracts with the agency as we only received a copy of it on the eve of our flight.
Secondly, the agency is defrauding us with our hard-earned wages. Our contract stipulates that 10% of our monthly gross income for two years shall be paid to the agency. In reality however we were made to pay in advance 20% of our “expected” gross income for one year. To add insult to injury the “expected” gross income is bloated so as to make us pay the maximum advance payment. This overcharging of placement fees and the premature collection of the same is tantamount to illegal recruiting and is a violation of a Philippine law, the Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.
Further they say that the excess payment will be applied to the following year while we are not even sure of being renewed for the next year or if we would even opt to use the same agency next year. What the agency is doing, apart from milking us dry, is to indirectly restrict us from pursuing our other options as they intend to continue exploiting us.
Thirdly, the agency has instituted schemes that are grossly immoral and unfair to us teachers. One blatant example is its effort to corner many of us into borrowing from its partner lending agency that charges excessive interest rates. The agency is charging us illegally with steep placement fees, then turns around and refers us to its partner lending agency to charge us once again with exorbitant interest rates.
Fourthly, we are dismayed by which we are treated virtually as modern slaves. The agency cramped us up in dilapidated apartment units. What makes it even painful is that we are being overcharged with the rent for these unspeakable living quarters that were simply forced upon us. While the published rent of a unit is only around $800 a month, we are all charged $310 each with each apartment unit housing 4 individuals and at times up to 8. We have a right to a safe and clean place of dwelling. And we have a right to choose a place that we deem is best for ourselves as we are the ones spending for it in the first place. The agency however decided to simply disregard these rights and make money in the process.
Fifthly, many of us have experience first hand the threats and intimidation employed by the agency and its owner to force us to shut our mouths up and simply swallow the oppression. The agency even discourages us from communicating with other Filipino groups or else our contracts will not be renewed.
Sixthly, we are aware of some of our colleagues who, weeks after they arrive here, are still without school assignments but instead need to attend job fairs for placement. They were duped into believing that a job is waiting for them here for how else can they be issued working visas. For the meantime, interests payments for their debts pile up every day.
Further there are so many other individual issues that we are sure you have experienced with the agency as well. They have unlawfully opened our SS document without our consent, they have bullied us and treated us as if we are not responsible adults who can decide for ourselves, and much more. We share many of these horrible stories yet here we are appearing disorganized if not helpless.
Now what are we to do? Some of you may be thinking of just keeping silent and swallow whatever pride that is left within you. Some of you may take a step of getting a lawyer to secure your immigration papers. Or maybe you are one of those who are thinking of seeking justice against the agency in your individual capacity.
We are in a foreign land and unfamiliar with the environment. No doubt we can easily adapt like we Filipinos always do – but will we simply allow these injustices to continue to happen, not only to us but to the next batch of our fellow teachers? We don’t know any public officials here who can help us or a radio or a media organization that we can turn to – but will we simply join in the chorus of silence and inaction?
We strongly believe that it is in our best interest to act collectively. The same way that it is in the interest of the agency to keep us separate and scattered, to keep us vulnerable and powerless. The reason why the agency forbids us to talk to one another, or with any other Filipino groups for that matter, is precisely because the agency is afraid that we share our horrible experiences and in the process unite us into action.
We need to stand up. We need to act as a group. And here are the main reasons why:
First, we share a common goal in this struggle – a goal that we may be able to pursue our dreams for our families. When we coordinate our action, our effort will be much more effective as we have more brains, and hands and hearts working for our common objectives.
Second, these efforts require not only our time and energy but also our financial resources. Securing a lawyer alone to handle our immigration papers and pursue our case will involve a lot of expenses. And most of us are now drowning in debt caused by the exorbitant fees the agency is charging us. If however we act as a group, we have the power to negotiate a favorable arrangement that will make the shared burden lighter.
Last and more important, we very much know that in numbers there is strength. It is only through a united action can we achieve true empowerment. It is only through a concerted effort that our voice will be heard loud and clear. It is only through a unified struggle can we effectively protect our jobs and our future.
Again, it is an imperative that we act together. It is an imperative that we act now!
Mabuhay ang gurong Pilipino!
Signed:
Concerned Filipino Migrant Teachers
Louisiana, USA
An open letter to our fellow Filipino Migrant Teachers
Why we need to act together.
We left our country to work in a foreign land. Many of us were reluctant to leave our families and communities behind but the promise of a brighter future for us and our children led us to where we are now. We are here because we are trying to secure a life that is full of opportunities, not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones.
In the pursuit of our aspirations, we encountered challenges but we always resolved to face these problems for we know that a persistent attitude is the only way to go forward. Before we made our decision to come here, many of us were faced with the dilemma of leaving our families – sacrificing the company of our respective spouses and kids for a shot at the future.
Before we came here, we have to hurdle several interviews, seminars and backbreaking reviews and examinations. Many of us were short in finances but we sold our properties or even placed ourselves deep in debt so as not to derail our plans to become financially stable in the future.
In short, we gave all that we could, so we can start building a dream for ourselves and our families. We discovered however that the beautiful pictures that were painted in our imagination are not as what they seem to be. Now we discovered that the Recruitment and Placement Agency who we entrusted with our dreams is not acting with the best, or in fact not even a fraction, of our interests in mind.
Firstly, there was a lack of transparency in the process that we underwent as we are preparing our documents for our deployment here. The fees and charges were not even clear to us as the agency seems to invent new ways to empty our pockets every week. Many of us were not even able to read and study our contracts with the agency as we only received a copy of it on the eve of our flight.
Secondly, the agency is defrauding us with our hard-earned wages. Our contract stipulates that 10% of our monthly gross income for two years shall be paid to the agency. In reality however we were made to pay in advance 20% of our “expected” gross income for one year. To add insult to injury the “expected” gross income is bloated so as to make us pay the maximum advance payment. This overcharging of placement fees and the premature collection of the same is tantamount to illegal recruiting and is a violation of a Philippine law, the Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.
Further they say that the excess payment will be applied to the following year while we are not even sure of being renewed for the next year or if we would even opt to use the same agency next year. What the agency is doing, apart from milking us dry, is to indirectly restrict us from pursuing our other options as they intend to continue exploiting us.
Thirdly, the agency has instituted schemes that are grossly immoral and unfair to us teachers. One blatant example is its effort to corner many of us into borrowing from its partner lending agency that charges excessive interest rates. The agency is charging us illegally with steep placement fees, then turns around and refers us to its partner lending agency to charge us once again with exorbitant interest rates.
Fourthly, we are dismayed by which we are treated virtually as modern slaves. The agency cramped us up in dilapidated apartment units. What makes it even painful is that we are being overcharged with the rent for these unspeakable living quarters that were simply forced upon us. While the published rent of a unit is only around $800 a month, we are all charged $310 each with each apartment unit housing 4 individuals and at times up to 8. We have a right to a safe and clean place of dwelling. And we have a right to choose a place that we deem is best for ourselves as we are the ones spending for it in the first place. The agency however decided to simply disregard these rights and make money in the process.
Fifthly, many of us have experience first hand the threats and intimidation employed by the agency and its owner to force us to shut our mouths up and simply swallow the oppression. The agency even discourages us from communicating with other Filipino groups or else our contracts will not be renewed.
Sixthly, we are aware of some of our colleagues who, weeks after they arrive here, are still without school assignments but instead need to attend job fairs for placement. They were duped into believing that a job is waiting for them here for how else can they be issued working visas. For the meantime, interests payments for their debts pile up every day.
Further there are so many other individual issues that we are sure you have experienced with the agency as well. They have unlawfully opened our SS document without our consent, they have bullied us and treated us as if we are not responsible adults who can decide for ourselves, and much more. We share many of these horrible stories yet here we are appearing disorganized if not helpless.
Now what are we to do? Some of you may be thinking of just keeping silent and swallow whatever pride that is left within you. Some of you may take a step of getting a lawyer to secure your immigration papers. Or maybe you are one of those who are thinking of seeking justice against the agency in your individual capacity.
We are in a foreign land and unfamiliar with the environment. No doubt we can easily adapt like we Filipinos always do – but will we simply allow these injustices to continue to happen, not only to us but to the next batch of our fellow teachers? We don’t know any public officials here who can help us or a radio or a media organization that we can turn to – but will we simply join in the chorus of silence and inaction?
We strongly believe that it is in our best interest to act collectively. The same way that it is in the interest of the agency to keep us separate and scattered, to keep us vulnerable and powerless. The reason why the agency forbids us to talk to one another, or with any other Filipino groups for that matter, is precisely because the agency is afraid that we share our horrible experiences and in the process unite us into action.
We need to stand up. We need to act as a group. And here are the main reasons why:
First, we share a common goal in this struggle – a goal that we may be able to pursue our dreams for our families. When we coordinate our action, our effort will be much more effective as we have more brains, and hands and hearts working for our common objectives.
Second, these efforts require not only our time and energy but also our financial resources. Securing a lawyer alone to handle our immigration papers and pursue our case will involve a lot of expenses. And most of us are now drowning in debt caused by the exorbitant fees the agency is charging us. If however we act as a group, we have the power to negotiate a favorable arrangement that will make the shared burden lighter.
Last and more important, we very much know that in numbers there is strength. It is only through a united action can we achieve true empowerment. It is only through a concerted effort that our voice will be heard loud and clear. It is only through a unified struggle can we effectively protect our jobs and our future.
Again, it is an imperative that we act together. It is an imperative that we act now!
Mabuhay ang gurong Pilipino!
Signed:
Concerned Filipino Migrant Teachers
Louisiana, USA
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
RISE Information Sheet Against Coal-Plants
(This information sheet was prepared by the Responsible Ilonggos for Sustainable Energy (RISE) and the Concerned Physicians of Iloilo.)
Coal-fired power plants (CFPP) emit toxic heavy metals, particulates, radioactive elements and gases which poison the air, water, and soil causing disease and death!
1. CFPP’s and so-called “clean coal” generate mercury which is poisonous.
• Fetuses, infants and children are especially at risk because of their developing minds and bodies.
• Mercury exposure can result in learning difficulties, behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), allergic reactions, tiredness, headaches, sperm damage, birth defects and miscarriages, vision changes, deafness, difficulty in walking and movement, and memory loss.
• No specific therapy is available for chronic mercury poisoning.
• Mercury can travel up to 966 km from the power plant.• Mercury in the environment can make fish and other seafood unsafe to eat.
• Mercury bioaccumulates up the food chain and never disappears in the environment.
2. CFPP’s including so-called “clean coal” emit other poisons like lead, manganese, aluminum, boron and cadmium.
• These poisons can cause miscarriages, weight loss, physical and mental development delays, and problems in the respiratory, circulatory, reproductive, digestive and nervous systems.
3. CFPP’s produce cancer-causing substances.
• Heavy metals like arsenic, hexavalent chromium and cadmium are all associated with the development of cancers of the prostate, bladder and lungs.
• Dioxin in the fly ash can also cause lung cancer.
• Fluidized bed combustion releases polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) of which the most potent carcinogens are benzoanthracene and benzopyrene.
4. Burning of coal release radioactive elements thorium, uranium and radium.
• Both large and small amounts of radiation can damage our genetic material; it can destroy cells or alter its growth or function
• Other effects of large doses of radiation include suppression of the immune system and cataracts.
• Certain tissues of a fetus, particularly the brain, are especially sensitive to radiation at specific stages of development.
• Radiation can also increase the probability of cancer.
5. CFPP’s including “clean coal” still release particulate matter.
• Particulate matter (PM) lodges deeply in the lungs causing heart and lung problems.
• Particulate matter can cause cancers, asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, strokes, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, hypertension, premature deaths, sleep disturbances, lower birth weights, premature births, intrauterine deaths, birth defects, increased new born deaths due to respiratory causes.
6. CFPP’s contribute to extreme climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions which cannot be controlled by circulating fluidized bed combustion.
• Coal is the most carbon intensive of all the fossil fuels.
• Direct effects are droughts, typhoons, floods and landslides.
• Indirect effects are resurgence of vector and water-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, encephalitis and cholera; changes in food and water supplies; population displacement and economic disruption.
The health risks are greatest for people living closer to the plants. Twenty percent of the total health impact occurs on 8 percent of the population that lives within 48.27 km of the facilities.
REFERENCES :
• Beyond Coal: Power, Public Health and the Environment, Kim Perrotta, Ontario Public Health Association, Nov 2002
• Haddad, Lester, Shannon, Michael, Winchester, James. Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose, 3rd ed., 1998
• Handbook on Childhood Poisoning, 1st Ed. Philippine Pediatric Society, Inc. Committee on Therapeutics and Toxicology.
• (Harvard School of Public Health Report 2000)Kaplan and Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry.2007. 10th Ed,
• McMichael, Tony. 2001. Human Frontiers, Environment and Disease.
• Natural Resources Defense Council, September 2007.
• Needleman, Herbert, P. Landrigan. 1994. Raising Children Toxic Free.
• Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 15th Ed.
• Wrisley, Jeff. Report on “Adverse Effects of Coal Burning Power Plants in Michigan”.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Rice crisis, a policy crisis
“It is not these well-fed long-haired men that I fear, but the pale and the hungry looking.”
- Julius Caesar
The Arroyo government is now scrambling to find quick fixes to the rice crisis. The government is pretending as if this is something that came from nowhere, that they were caught by surprise as the worldwide food problem reached our shores. It is as if people in the government did not see this crisis coming. It is as if this was an imported disease that we know nothing about.
The reality is that the government is complicit to this very problem. For decades now, our government has ignored the agriculture industry. Succeeding administrations are guilty of disregarding an economic sector that could have been the strong backbone for the country’s development. Yes, our government has been a big failure in being able to capitalize on our rich agricultural resources that would have ensured the nation’s food security.
While other Asian countries continue to build and strengthen their agriculture, we have been busy building malls and golf courses. We have been contented with just sending our people abroad to work as maids and caregivers and take comfort that our economy is kept afloat by their remittances.
Our economic managers conveniently concluded that it is far easier to just import rice from Thailand or Vietnam or from anywhere else. Our policy-makers decided to instead focus on attracting call centers and other service sector industries. And while our government advanced the tourism industry, investment for agriculture dwindled to the point of pity.
Instead of protecting our agriculture the government blindly subscribed to the policy of liberalization that subjected the industry to uneven competition. Let us not forget that it was also Gloria Arroyo, as a senator in 1997, who promoted the country’s entry to the WTO (World Trade Organization) and enthusiastically supported the same trade policies that aggravated the damage to our agriculture industry.
Thus, our own government is an accomplice to this crime of neglecting the food security of the country. But Gloria Arroyo now is acting as if she is not aware of what is happening. And while at this, Arroyo is as usual in a show-off mode – trying to project that she is on top of the problem, that she is tough against rice hoarders, that she is compassionate by distributing cheap NFA rice.
We are a country rich in agricultural resources yet it is a pity to note that we are one of the highest importers in the whole planet of the very staple food that we need.
It is time to go back to the basics – our country needs to be self sufficient most especially in food production. We cannot depend on other countries for our food supply. That is the bottom line.
- Julius Caesar
The Arroyo government is now scrambling to find quick fixes to the rice crisis. The government is pretending as if this is something that came from nowhere, that they were caught by surprise as the worldwide food problem reached our shores. It is as if people in the government did not see this crisis coming. It is as if this was an imported disease that we know nothing about.
The reality is that the government is complicit to this very problem. For decades now, our government has ignored the agriculture industry. Succeeding administrations are guilty of disregarding an economic sector that could have been the strong backbone for the country’s development. Yes, our government has been a big failure in being able to capitalize on our rich agricultural resources that would have ensured the nation’s food security.
While other Asian countries continue to build and strengthen their agriculture, we have been busy building malls and golf courses. We have been contented with just sending our people abroad to work as maids and caregivers and take comfort that our economy is kept afloat by their remittances.
Our economic managers conveniently concluded that it is far easier to just import rice from Thailand or Vietnam or from anywhere else. Our policy-makers decided to instead focus on attracting call centers and other service sector industries. And while our government advanced the tourism industry, investment for agriculture dwindled to the point of pity.
Instead of protecting our agriculture the government blindly subscribed to the policy of liberalization that subjected the industry to uneven competition. Let us not forget that it was also Gloria Arroyo, as a senator in 1997, who promoted the country’s entry to the WTO (World Trade Organization) and enthusiastically supported the same trade policies that aggravated the damage to our agriculture industry.
Thus, our own government is an accomplice to this crime of neglecting the food security of the country. But Gloria Arroyo now is acting as if she is not aware of what is happening. And while at this, Arroyo is as usual in a show-off mode – trying to project that she is on top of the problem, that she is tough against rice hoarders, that she is compassionate by distributing cheap NFA rice.
We are a country rich in agricultural resources yet it is a pity to note that we are one of the highest importers in the whole planet of the very staple food that we need.
It is time to go back to the basics – our country needs to be self sufficient most especially in food production. We cannot depend on other countries for our food supply. That is the bottom line.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
A Reader's Comment
(Below is a very interesting email from Bert who read my article, "Misinformation on Coal", in the The News Today.)
Dear Mr. Seruelo,
This article solidifies the undeniable concern of the hazards coal power plants could potentially bring to the City of Iloilo. What is baffling is that proponents would use anything and everything to justify something that is horribly wrong. Why can't they just put their time and energy to solicit other environmentally friendly power sources?
- - - -
Kansas Rejects Proposed Coal Plant
October 19, 2007
Because Of CO2 Emissions The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has become the first government agency in the U.S. to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting an air permit for a coal-fired electricity generating plant, The Washington Post reports. Sunflower Electric Power, a rural electrical cooperative, proposed to build a pair of 700-megawatt, coal-fired plants in Holcomb at a cost of about $3.6 billion.
It may be the first of a series of similar state actions inspired by a Supreme Court decision in April that asserted that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide should be considered pollutants under the Clean Air Act.Air permits have been denied over emissions such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury, according to WaPo. But Roderick Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that “it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing.”
- - - -
Didn't any of the member of the 10 man task force of Mayor Trenas pay attention to this article circulated in one of the local newspaper in Iloilo? One of the panellists is a Professor from UPV and the current Vice Mayor is a UPV alumni - what else can they have missed? Where is the UP spirit of doing what's right vs. what is easier?
Another panel member is a priest who is fond of perpuating that coal plants are acceptable in the United States - doesn't he realize that he is not the only one who have been to the United States? If there is no such concern, why is it then that the US Government is spending a lot of money to clean up the environmental mess brought about by coal powered plants? He is a proponent of the filtration system being offered by the builder! What is his guarantee that the standards would be followed diligently? Unfortunately, he forgot that we are a country who do not have the kind of discipline to implement most standards. We cannot even manage the cleanliness of our streets and rivers!
I do not understand why a certain politician/doctor champions the installation of a coal powered plant in Iloilo when he cannot even convince his constituents to put up one in their own town?
What about the Mayor of Iloilo who is blinded by political paybacks that he is willing to be remembered as the mayor who brought about the environmental doom of Iloilo.
The Liga ng mga Barangay president who arrogantly says "How come the people of Cebu are still alive despite the installation of coal power plants in their city?". Here's your answer based on the article below - it takes years before you will feel the hazardous effects. Who will foot the bill for the clean-up and the medical expenses?
- - - -
US-based Ilongga expert issues word of caution on coal plants
By Ronilo L. Pamonag
A US-based Ilongga expert on coal power plants advised proponents of a coal-fired power plant to look for other alternatives, as she expressed concern over the potential ill effects on the populace.
“We have to look for alternative fuel without the hazardous emissions. Try to think of other alternatives,” chemical engineer Erlinda Palmos, formerly a technical advisor with the US Department of Energy and now the manager of the US Navy’s Environment Safety and Health Management, said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
We have hydro-electric and geothermal sources of energy, why don’t we maximize their potential, she said. Coal, she adds, is a dirty raw material. She stressed though that she is neither for nor against the proposal of Global Business Power Corporation to put up a coal-fired power plant in Brgy. Ingore, Lapaz, Iloilo City, but expressed uneasiness that the proposed site is very near residential communities.
The GBPC has been lobbying for a coal-fired power plant in the City to address what they claim is the predicted power shortage by 2010.
Palmos also advised proponents to look for other sites, and come up with a deeper, more comprehensive, and accurate feasibility study.
In the United States, she said, coal power plants are located away from communities to minimize the effect of emissions on the people caused by changes in the wind pattern.
Moreover, the present trend in the US is against coal plants, and more for nuclear power plants. Many coal plants in the US are closing because they are having a hard time complying with federal and state environmental regulations. “That’s why they’re training their eyes on third world countries,” she said.
In fact, when she was still with the DoE, she ordered the closure of one coal plant for exceeding emission levels, Palmos relates.
The study, she suggested, should include toxicology data, as well as the instrumentation used and the process followed.They are planning to put up a coal-fired power plant but their Environmental Impact Study is about diesel power plants, she noted, referring to GBPC’s EIS.
Coal is different from diesel, she pointed out. She highlighted the need to ensure that environmental laws, especially regulations on emissions and waste disposal, are complied with, and that there is a standard operating procedure governing the regular preventive maintenance of the plant.
“Are they willing to spend huge amounts just to ensure that toxic elements are not released into the environment?” she asked.For the first two years of operation, a coal power plant will not yet experience problems with its emissions. But as years go by, problems regarding toxic emissions would crop up, she said.
- - - -
I applaud your conviction in writing "Misinformation on Coal". I pray that the people of Iloilo would be guided to oppose the installation of the coal powered plant in Iloilo.
Sincerely,
Bert Rosal
Dear Mr. Seruelo,
This article solidifies the undeniable concern of the hazards coal power plants could potentially bring to the City of Iloilo. What is baffling is that proponents would use anything and everything to justify something that is horribly wrong. Why can't they just put their time and energy to solicit other environmentally friendly power sources?
- - - -
Kansas Rejects Proposed Coal Plant
October 19, 2007
Because Of CO2 Emissions The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has become the first government agency in the U.S. to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting an air permit for a coal-fired electricity generating plant, The Washington Post reports. Sunflower Electric Power, a rural electrical cooperative, proposed to build a pair of 700-megawatt, coal-fired plants in Holcomb at a cost of about $3.6 billion.
It may be the first of a series of similar state actions inspired by a Supreme Court decision in April that asserted that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide should be considered pollutants under the Clean Air Act.Air permits have been denied over emissions such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury, according to WaPo. But Roderick Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that “it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing.”
- - - -
Didn't any of the member of the 10 man task force of Mayor Trenas pay attention to this article circulated in one of the local newspaper in Iloilo? One of the panellists is a Professor from UPV and the current Vice Mayor is a UPV alumni - what else can they have missed? Where is the UP spirit of doing what's right vs. what is easier?
Another panel member is a priest who is fond of perpuating that coal plants are acceptable in the United States - doesn't he realize that he is not the only one who have been to the United States? If there is no such concern, why is it then that the US Government is spending a lot of money to clean up the environmental mess brought about by coal powered plants? He is a proponent of the filtration system being offered by the builder! What is his guarantee that the standards would be followed diligently? Unfortunately, he forgot that we are a country who do not have the kind of discipline to implement most standards. We cannot even manage the cleanliness of our streets and rivers!
I do not understand why a certain politician/doctor champions the installation of a coal powered plant in Iloilo when he cannot even convince his constituents to put up one in their own town?
What about the Mayor of Iloilo who is blinded by political paybacks that he is willing to be remembered as the mayor who brought about the environmental doom of Iloilo.
The Liga ng mga Barangay president who arrogantly says "How come the people of Cebu are still alive despite the installation of coal power plants in their city?". Here's your answer based on the article below - it takes years before you will feel the hazardous effects. Who will foot the bill for the clean-up and the medical expenses?
- - - -
US-based Ilongga expert issues word of caution on coal plants
By Ronilo L. Pamonag
A US-based Ilongga expert on coal power plants advised proponents of a coal-fired power plant to look for other alternatives, as she expressed concern over the potential ill effects on the populace.
“We have to look for alternative fuel without the hazardous emissions. Try to think of other alternatives,” chemical engineer Erlinda Palmos, formerly a technical advisor with the US Department of Energy and now the manager of the US Navy’s Environment Safety and Health Management, said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
We have hydro-electric and geothermal sources of energy, why don’t we maximize their potential, she said. Coal, she adds, is a dirty raw material. She stressed though that she is neither for nor against the proposal of Global Business Power Corporation to put up a coal-fired power plant in Brgy. Ingore, Lapaz, Iloilo City, but expressed uneasiness that the proposed site is very near residential communities.
The GBPC has been lobbying for a coal-fired power plant in the City to address what they claim is the predicted power shortage by 2010.
Palmos also advised proponents to look for other sites, and come up with a deeper, more comprehensive, and accurate feasibility study.
In the United States, she said, coal power plants are located away from communities to minimize the effect of emissions on the people caused by changes in the wind pattern.
Moreover, the present trend in the US is against coal plants, and more for nuclear power plants. Many coal plants in the US are closing because they are having a hard time complying with federal and state environmental regulations. “That’s why they’re training their eyes on third world countries,” she said.
In fact, when she was still with the DoE, she ordered the closure of one coal plant for exceeding emission levels, Palmos relates.
The study, she suggested, should include toxicology data, as well as the instrumentation used and the process followed.They are planning to put up a coal-fired power plant but their Environmental Impact Study is about diesel power plants, she noted, referring to GBPC’s EIS.
Coal is different from diesel, she pointed out. She highlighted the need to ensure that environmental laws, especially regulations on emissions and waste disposal, are complied with, and that there is a standard operating procedure governing the regular preventive maintenance of the plant.
“Are they willing to spend huge amounts just to ensure that toxic elements are not released into the environment?” she asked.For the first two years of operation, a coal power plant will not yet experience problems with its emissions. But as years go by, problems regarding toxic emissions would crop up, she said.
- - - -
I applaud your conviction in writing "Misinformation on Coal". I pray that the people of Iloilo would be guided to oppose the installation of the coal powered plant in Iloilo.
Sincerely,
Bert Rosal
Censored Article
I am dismayed that a significant portion of my article entitled "Misinformation on Coal" was cut and was not published in the The News Today.
Below is the section that was excluded. See previous blog entry for complete article.
- - - -
Shameless
The sad story here is that some media entities are becoming to be part of this misinformation. An example is the shameless practice of this certain news daily in slanting all its news stories for the coal plant and maligning those who opposed the project.
This newspaper, while it proclaims itself as “Western Visayas’ Most Read and Respected,” has a weird concept of balance news. It is balance in a way that it gives good publicity in proportion to the weight of your wallet.
An interesting coincidence is that the publisher/editor of the paper is the paid PR manager of the coal plant proponent.
Below is the section that was excluded. See previous blog entry for complete article.
- - - -
Shameless
The sad story here is that some media entities are becoming to be part of this misinformation. An example is the shameless practice of this certain news daily in slanting all its news stories for the coal plant and maligning those who opposed the project.
This newspaper, while it proclaims itself as “Western Visayas’ Most Read and Respected,” has a weird concept of balance news. It is balance in a way that it gives good publicity in proportion to the weight of your wallet.
An interesting coincidence is that the publisher/editor of the paper is the paid PR manager of the coal plant proponent.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Misinformation on Coal
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
- Benjamin Disraeli
Misinformation it seems is the remaining tactic of the proponent of the 168 MW coal plant here in Iloilo. As more and more Ilonggos understand that putting up a coal plant right in our backyard is not such a good idea, the proponent and its PR team are now trying to spread more lies and half-truths.
Well what can you expect? Millions of pesos in annual profits are at stake here and that the proponent has hired the best spin doctors to weave a blanket of misinformation.
Clean Coal?
First, they keep on reciting this “clean coal technology” script as if repeating it a thousand times will at least make it sound cleaner. In industrialized countries they are already moving towards renewable alternatives to coal in recognition of the fact that coal plants are the dirtiest sources of energy.
And coal-plant investors in these industrialized countries are now even talking about advancing the technology such as burying the carbon emissions underground or the use of a gasified form of coal. Again, in recognition of the fact that coal-fired power plant technology including the circulating fluidized bed combustion proposed here in Iloilo is a dirty technology.
Shortage?
Secondly, these coal pushers take advantage of the power interruptions brought about by the inefficiencies of the PECO-PPC tandem and the region’s poor transmission infrastructure. Then they conveniently pair these brownouts and blackouts to their over-exaggerated power demand projections.
They spin this dark tale that these power interruptions are going to get worse and a coal plant is the only answer to this problem. But if you check the annual projections of the DOE since 10 years ago, they have been projecting a shortage as early as 2005. Do we have a shortage now? No. The problem that we have now can be solved simply by an improvement in the transmission facilities, not by a 168 MW coal plant.
Currently, Iloilo City has a peak demand of only 76 MW and we have a capacity of 84 MW (69 MW from PPC and 15MW form NPC), not to mention the 25 MW capacity of the Negros-Panay submarine cable that provides additional power to the island. Simply put, these coal plant PR managers are fear-mongering us Ilonggos to accepting a hazardous project.
I am not saying here that there is no need to build more power plants for the city’s future needs. What I am saying is let us not foolishly jump to this dirty project as we have enough time to study and solicit investors for a cleaner power source.
Safe?
Thirdly, I have never heard any of these coal pushers acknowledging that indeed coal plants pose dangers to both the human health and the environment as shown by tomes of documents worldwide. What is ironic however is that while there is no admission of any hazard, they keep on mouthing their ready reply called “mitigating measures.” I do not know why you need “mitigating measures” if this is supposed to be a “clean coal technology.”
Now, they even got somebody from the DOH to endorse the project. I really do not know how a doctor from the DOH can be so ignorant of the facts. This endorsement of the building of a coal plant right in a densely populated city is such an irresponsible act coming from a health professional.
The DOH doctor asserted, “As far the health is concerned, there's no question with that because our concern is public protection. DOH is supportive of the coal plant project as it believes that mitigating measures will be put in place precisely to protect the public.”
There they go with the “mitigating measures” again. Here is a DOH doctor who will entrust our city’s health and environment to the belief that “mitigating measures will be put in place.” Why not chose a cleaner option so that there will be no need to mitigate? Why put a community at risk if there are other safer alternatives?
In news reports this doctor never mentioned what mitigating measures she has in mind and did not even articulate a medical or scientific perspective on the issue. All she can say is that the coal plant project is okay, period. It seems that corruption in Malacañang has trickled down to the departments.
Shameless
The sad story here is that some media entities are becoming to be part of this misinformation. An example is the shameless practice of this certain news daily in slanting all its news stories for the coal plant and maligning those who opposed the project.
This newspaper, while it proclaims itself as “Western Visayas’ Most Read and Respected,” has a weird concept of balance news. It is balance in a way that it gives good publicity in proportion to the weight of your wallet.
An interesting coincidence is that the publisher/editor of the paper is the paid PR manager of the coal plant proponent.
(Send your comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337 and for e-mails to ianseruelo@gmail.com.)
- Benjamin Disraeli
Misinformation it seems is the remaining tactic of the proponent of the 168 MW coal plant here in Iloilo. As more and more Ilonggos understand that putting up a coal plant right in our backyard is not such a good idea, the proponent and its PR team are now trying to spread more lies and half-truths.
Well what can you expect? Millions of pesos in annual profits are at stake here and that the proponent has hired the best spin doctors to weave a blanket of misinformation.
Clean Coal?
First, they keep on reciting this “clean coal technology” script as if repeating it a thousand times will at least make it sound cleaner. In industrialized countries they are already moving towards renewable alternatives to coal in recognition of the fact that coal plants are the dirtiest sources of energy.
And coal-plant investors in these industrialized countries are now even talking about advancing the technology such as burying the carbon emissions underground or the use of a gasified form of coal. Again, in recognition of the fact that coal-fired power plant technology including the circulating fluidized bed combustion proposed here in Iloilo is a dirty technology.
Shortage?
Secondly, these coal pushers take advantage of the power interruptions brought about by the inefficiencies of the PECO-PPC tandem and the region’s poor transmission infrastructure. Then they conveniently pair these brownouts and blackouts to their over-exaggerated power demand projections.
They spin this dark tale that these power interruptions are going to get worse and a coal plant is the only answer to this problem. But if you check the annual projections of the DOE since 10 years ago, they have been projecting a shortage as early as 2005. Do we have a shortage now? No. The problem that we have now can be solved simply by an improvement in the transmission facilities, not by a 168 MW coal plant.
Currently, Iloilo City has a peak demand of only 76 MW and we have a capacity of 84 MW (69 MW from PPC and 15MW form NPC), not to mention the 25 MW capacity of the Negros-Panay submarine cable that provides additional power to the island. Simply put, these coal plant PR managers are fear-mongering us Ilonggos to accepting a hazardous project.
I am not saying here that there is no need to build more power plants for the city’s future needs. What I am saying is let us not foolishly jump to this dirty project as we have enough time to study and solicit investors for a cleaner power source.
Safe?
Thirdly, I have never heard any of these coal pushers acknowledging that indeed coal plants pose dangers to both the human health and the environment as shown by tomes of documents worldwide. What is ironic however is that while there is no admission of any hazard, they keep on mouthing their ready reply called “mitigating measures.” I do not know why you need “mitigating measures” if this is supposed to be a “clean coal technology.”
Now, they even got somebody from the DOH to endorse the project. I really do not know how a doctor from the DOH can be so ignorant of the facts. This endorsement of the building of a coal plant right in a densely populated city is such an irresponsible act coming from a health professional.
The DOH doctor asserted, “As far the health is concerned, there's no question with that because our concern is public protection. DOH is supportive of the coal plant project as it believes that mitigating measures will be put in place precisely to protect the public.”
There they go with the “mitigating measures” again. Here is a DOH doctor who will entrust our city’s health and environment to the belief that “mitigating measures will be put in place.” Why not chose a cleaner option so that there will be no need to mitigate? Why put a community at risk if there are other safer alternatives?
In news reports this doctor never mentioned what mitigating measures she has in mind and did not even articulate a medical or scientific perspective on the issue. All she can say is that the coal plant project is okay, period. It seems that corruption in Malacañang has trickled down to the departments.
Shameless
The sad story here is that some media entities are becoming to be part of this misinformation. An example is the shameless practice of this certain news daily in slanting all its news stories for the coal plant and maligning those who opposed the project.
This newspaper, while it proclaims itself as “Western Visayas’ Most Read and Respected,” has a weird concept of balance news. It is balance in a way that it gives good publicity in proportion to the weight of your wallet.
An interesting coincidence is that the publisher/editor of the paper is the paid PR manager of the coal plant proponent.
(Send your comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337 and for e-mails to ianseruelo@gmail.com.)
Friday, March 07, 2008
A democratic alternative to GMA
(This is a statement from former UP President and now chairperson of Laban ng Masa Prof. Francisco Nemenzo)
A democratic alternative to GMA
The belated involvement of Makati Business Club and other elite groups in the campaign to oust Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is welcome. But we should not let them steal victory from the people.
The ouster of GMA will bring no significant improvement if the system of elite rule is left intact. Whoever accedes to Malacanang in this political framework will remain a captive of the greedy and colonial-minded elite.
For as long as the elite hold effective power, a snap election will be another contest between trapos who enjoy their financial blessings. Democracy is a fraud where people are merely asked to choose who among the candidates of the elite will represent and repress them.
The truly democratic alternative to GMA is a Transitional Revolutionary Government, a collective leadership that has the strength and political will to institute fundamental reforms. Since the country is damaged beyond repair after decades of oligarchic rule, it has to be rebuilt from top to bottom. New structures for popular participation at the grassroots level should replace the present pseudo-representati ve system. The neoliberal policies now dragging the country to the brink of disaster should be reversed. The public and private centers of power should be democratized. The bureaucracy, military and police should be cleansed of officials whose opulent lifestyles can only be sustained by graft and corruption.
We are appalled to hear the executive director of the Makati Business Club claim that his outfit financed the inter-faith rally last Friday. Laban ng Masa never received and will never accept any assistance from such a source. That is how the elite manipulate the elected trapos. That is why we are not only fighting for regime change; we are fighting for system change. We do not only want to rid the country of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; we want an end to the system that breeds her type of leadership.
A democratic alternative to GMA
The belated involvement of Makati Business Club and other elite groups in the campaign to oust Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is welcome. But we should not let them steal victory from the people.
The ouster of GMA will bring no significant improvement if the system of elite rule is left intact. Whoever accedes to Malacanang in this political framework will remain a captive of the greedy and colonial-minded elite.
For as long as the elite hold effective power, a snap election will be another contest between trapos who enjoy their financial blessings. Democracy is a fraud where people are merely asked to choose who among the candidates of the elite will represent and repress them.
The truly democratic alternative to GMA is a Transitional Revolutionary Government, a collective leadership that has the strength and political will to institute fundamental reforms. Since the country is damaged beyond repair after decades of oligarchic rule, it has to be rebuilt from top to bottom. New structures for popular participation at the grassroots level should replace the present pseudo-representati ve system. The neoliberal policies now dragging the country to the brink of disaster should be reversed. The public and private centers of power should be democratized. The bureaucracy, military and police should be cleansed of officials whose opulent lifestyles can only be sustained by graft and corruption.
We are appalled to hear the executive director of the Makati Business Club claim that his outfit financed the inter-faith rally last Friday. Laban ng Masa never received and will never accept any assistance from such a source. That is how the elite manipulate the elected trapos. That is why we are not only fighting for regime change; we are fighting for system change. We do not only want to rid the country of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; we want an end to the system that breeds her type of leadership.
Readers’ take on corrupt politics
"Kung kaya mong isipin, kaya mong gawin
Isa-isang hakbang lamang at ika’y makakarating
Tulad ng puno na galing sa binhi
Ang mga dakilang gawa’y nagmula sa guni-guni..."
- from “Kung Kaya Mong Isipin” by Joey Ayala
Today I am featuring several emailed letters from this column’s readers. Many of the emails I received in the past days are in reaction to my previous article entitled “The Tentacles of Evil”.
What is common in many of the reactions I received is that despite of what is happening in our country, many well-meaning Filipinos are still ready to stand up for what is right and willing to act for the future of our nation.
Definitely you can sense the tone of hopelessness, of surrender to the seemingly bleak future ahead. We are buried in a very dark hole indeed, but let us hope that we Filipinos can muster enough wisdom, courage and sense of unity to choose the path that will lead us back to the light.
* * * * *
Kabayan,
We all desire to achieve our objectives....
What about those overnight critics/enemies of PGMA who were with her many years in their post and took advantage of enriching themselves? Should we also run after them...or just let them go scot free, as if nothing happened?
If we want to get rid of the scalawags in our society, we should consider the option of reaping them out also....and sow a new seed. Don't let the old weeds remain.
Just my thoughts...
From: maltares@kfupm.edu.sa
* * * * *
I feel so helpless seeing and hearing all this mafia function that’s been happening ever since she (Gloria Arroyo) was in power.
And to realize that she used those money for her own good, sacrificing our Inang Bayan. It saddened me to realize that those projects are good projects, broadband, North and South rail projects to name a few. I'm saddened because it hit me when I think the good impact of such. Broadband means good communication, faster link, same with the road construction that will boost our economy. Look at our neighboring Asian countries, Japan has the Bullet train that transport people faster, good roads and airlines, same with Singapore, Hong Kong and the like.
It’s so frustrating to know, that this unfinished projects cost this much $$$$ and our mahal na INANG BAYAN was in debt for millions AND millions of dollars. Seems like the Philippines was sold to China for the benefit of this hypocrite, and as you well said, FAKE president.
I agree that its time to stand up now before it’s too late, we will soon be carrying China's passport.
From: asilag@arrow.com
* * * * *
Just like many Filipinos, I am appalled by the latest events in our country. This administration just as the previous administrations has committed big crimes against our nation – corruption, corruption and corruption. I do not know if we can even live to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I agree with you that it not correct to swallow the corruption of President Arroyo simply because all of them are corrupt anyway. We cannot trust any of those dirty politicians. It is time to move and bring out alternative leaders for our country’s future.
From: janreyes123@yahoo.com
(Send your comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337 and for e-mails to ianseruelo@gmail.com)
Isa-isang hakbang lamang at ika’y makakarating
Tulad ng puno na galing sa binhi
Ang mga dakilang gawa’y nagmula sa guni-guni..."
- from “Kung Kaya Mong Isipin” by Joey Ayala
Today I am featuring several emailed letters from this column’s readers. Many of the emails I received in the past days are in reaction to my previous article entitled “The Tentacles of Evil”.
What is common in many of the reactions I received is that despite of what is happening in our country, many well-meaning Filipinos are still ready to stand up for what is right and willing to act for the future of our nation.
Definitely you can sense the tone of hopelessness, of surrender to the seemingly bleak future ahead. We are buried in a very dark hole indeed, but let us hope that we Filipinos can muster enough wisdom, courage and sense of unity to choose the path that will lead us back to the light.
* * * * *
Kabayan,
We all desire to achieve our objectives....
What about those overnight critics/enemies of PGMA who were with her many years in their post and took advantage of enriching themselves? Should we also run after them...or just let them go scot free, as if nothing happened?
If we want to get rid of the scalawags in our society, we should consider the option of reaping them out also....and sow a new seed. Don't let the old weeds remain.
Just my thoughts...
From: maltares@kfupm.edu.sa
* * * * *
I feel so helpless seeing and hearing all this mafia function that’s been happening ever since she (Gloria Arroyo) was in power.
And to realize that she used those money for her own good, sacrificing our Inang Bayan. It saddened me to realize that those projects are good projects, broadband, North and South rail projects to name a few. I'm saddened because it hit me when I think the good impact of such. Broadband means good communication, faster link, same with the road construction that will boost our economy. Look at our neighboring Asian countries, Japan has the Bullet train that transport people faster, good roads and airlines, same with Singapore, Hong Kong and the like.
It’s so frustrating to know, that this unfinished projects cost this much $$$$ and our mahal na INANG BAYAN was in debt for millions AND millions of dollars. Seems like the Philippines was sold to China for the benefit of this hypocrite, and as you well said, FAKE president.
I agree that its time to stand up now before it’s too late, we will soon be carrying China's passport.
From: asilag@arrow.com
* * * * *
Just like many Filipinos, I am appalled by the latest events in our country. This administration just as the previous administrations has committed big crimes against our nation – corruption, corruption and corruption. I do not know if we can even live to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I agree with you that it not correct to swallow the corruption of President Arroyo simply because all of them are corrupt anyway. We cannot trust any of those dirty politicians. It is time to move and bring out alternative leaders for our country’s future.
From: janreyes123@yahoo.com
(Send your comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337 and for e-mails to ianseruelo@gmail.com)
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