Saturday, October 27, 2007

Irony of all ironies!

“It’s a black fly on your Chardonnay
It’s a death row pardon two minutes too late…”

- from “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette

I read in a previous issue of this paper that Mayor Treñas is leaving for Korea. Treñas will attend a three-day meeting of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). I did a research on this initiative and this particular meeting and I found out some interesting information.

According to its web site ICLEI “is an international association of local governments and national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development.” I would like to highlight “sustainable development” which our mayor seems not to understand very well.

ICLEI partners with United Nations in different programs and was actually founded in the UN headquarters in New York. This group supports the environmental initiatives of the UN and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). IPCC, composed of scientists from all over the world, declared in a recent conference that human activity is the main cause of global warming and highlighted fossil burning activities (coal plants) among others.

I commend ICLEI for its laudable objectives and its global efforts to tackle global environmental issues particularly global warming to the level of local governments. In fact, this meeting in Jeju, Korea will “address the future role of local governments in the international effort to tackle climate change.”

The website http://www.iclei.org/ is indeed very impressive and informative. It features efforts of local governments from different cities to combat global warming, stories about renewable sources of energy and conferences on this and that environmentally-sound alternatives.

Of course here in Iloilo City, our local government’s effort is promoting the construction of a coal plant! And by the way, Treñas is a current member of ICLEI’s Executive Committee “that oversee the implementation of the Strategic Plan and ICLEI operations”. Tsk ,tsk, now you understand why I have that title in this article.

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By the way I prepared a short speech for Treñas to deliver in the ICLEI meeting. Please read below.

Today we have gathered here as members of the Executive Committee of ICLEI to tackle our role as local government executives in the issue of climate change. Indeed we have a big role as we are the grassroots leaders in our communities.

We should continue to promote sustainable development. The development that can sustain our political careers and our pockets. What use is development if we are without power?” (Big smile)

That is why in my beloved city, the City of Iloilo, I am supporting the building of a coal fired power plant. And yes this proposed coal plant will be very clean as it will utilize what the proponents say as the “clean coal technology”. Sounds hi-tech, right?

I really believe them because they are my friends. In fact they even gave me a nice treat – an all-expense paid trip to Taiwan, among other gifts! (Wink, wink...) But of course it was to view a coal plant, a study trip. And my, oh my, I loved the beaches in Taiwan. But then again it was a study trip and yes I learned a lot about coal plants!

Despite of volumes of studies that document the hazards of coal plants, I now believe the proponents when they say coal plants are clean. Why? Because they are my friends! And we should trust our friends, right?

Further, when I went to Taiwan, the coal plant emissions are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Yes I went up the plant’s smoke stack, smelled and tasted the emissions. It was fun climbing up and down the ladder, by the way.

Anyway, what I am trying to point out here is that what you cannot see, smell or taste could not possibly hurt you. Right? How scientific could you get? I actually failed in my high school chemistry class (if my memory serves me right) but heck, I am the mayor now and mayors don’t need chemistry.

And when I was there I never heard anybody cough or I never saw a sickly person. So I declare that coal plant emissions cannot cause asthma or cancer. I’m very observant, right? I knew it I could have been a good scientist.

Now, I appeal to you in behalf of my coal plant friends. Let us declare the building of coal plants as sustainable development projects.

Let us ignore the opinion of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration, the studies by Harvard School of Public Health and many other institutions that detail the hazards of coal plants to the environment and to people’s health.

Let us ignore the declaration of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that point to burning fossil fuels, majority of which from coal plants, as the culprit in climate change.

As a member of this executive committee, I move that we declare all those scientists to be anti-development and adopt my scientific methods as the new standards.

This is, ladies and gentlemen, our role as local government executives in the issue of climate change. I, thank you. (Bow!)

Monday, October 15, 2007

Of Coal Plants and Junkets

“Integrity has no need of rules.”
– Albert Camus

If your bathroom were sparkling and spotless would you clean it? Would you wash the dishes when you know they are already clean?

If the current technology used in coal plants is “clean” why is it that up to now there are ongoing technological researches on how to make the same technology become environmentally friendly?

In the global scene, why is the power industry talking about burying coal plants emissions and implement what they call the CCS or the carbon (CO2) capture and storage?

Among other mitigating efforts to ease environmental impact, why is it that options including gasification of coal are now being laid on the table on coal power plant designs?

Simply put, if “clean coal” is indeed “clean” why the need to make it clean?

Well, coal plant proponents will say: “Current coal technology is clean and ongoing studies are geared towards making it more environment friendly.

That does not make sense! Why make it more environment friendly if it is already clean? If you say you want it to be “MORE environment friendly”, then you are claiming that it is already “environment friendly”. But is it?

If the technology is environment friendly then there should be no talk on how to mitigate the harmful emissions and noxious hazards of coal plants. But the fact that they cannot deny is – there is!

“Clean Coal” – revoltingly contradictory

Now, why call it “clean” when in actuality it is not? Why are they not accepting in public that indeed coal plants harm the environment and human health?

Why is there no admission from proponents that coal plants, including those using circulating fluidized bed (CFB), account for the biggest toxic emissions (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury, etc.) in the planet?

Now, coal plant proponents will say: “Well one more coal plant here in Iloilo will not really make things worse. Further, it is only one additional plant and the impact may be negligible. And after all we need more power for the region’s development.

To the question: “Is ‘clean coal technology’ really clean?” does it really matter if the percent of additional pollution is small compared to the whole? Does it really matter if the hazards will be felt in 1 year, in 10 years or in 50 years?

The answer is “NO”. This technology that they are pushing is plainly NOT CLEAN – that is the simple message, no matter how they distort the facts. The term “clean coal technology” is a misnomer – grossly misleading and revoltingly contradictory.

Further, apart from it being a contributor to the planetary scourge of global warming, this coal plant will be a threat in the smaller regional scale. This coal plant, CFB or otherwise, that they want to build here in Iloilo poses serious hazards to our environment and to the population’s health.

On the need for additional power, many studies have shown superior renewable alternatives – options that embody the concept of sustainable development that this column has covered in the past.

Study trips or disguised bribe?

This leads me now to a separate but related issue – the question of legality and propriety of the “study trips” of our “honorable” city officials that were sponsored by the very proponent of a coal plant project in the City of Iloilo.

Mayor Treñas, Vice Mayor Mabilog and several City Councilors went to Taiwan allegedly to visit coal plants as arranged by the proponent. The trip and all expenses were shouldered by Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC), owner of Panay Power Corporation (PPC) whose proposing a 100 MW coal plant in Lapaz, Iloilo City.

In the legal front, RISE or the Responsible Ilonggos for Renewable Energy, through FDC chairperson Roming Gerochi is right on target in filing charges against Mayor Treñas for accepting this sponsored junket.
In the RISE complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Treñas is accused of violating Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. Section 7 (d) of the Act stipulates the following:

“Solicitation or acceptance of gifts. - Public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office.”

Clearly, Treñas (and the others) violated this provision. What’s funny is that in news reports this supposedly lawyer Mayor justifies his action by saying that “the proponents are not contractors or suppliers for projects of the city government”.

Further he said “his trip cannot be covered by prohibitions of the law because the coal-plant project does not need the approval of the city government”.

Nowhere in RA 6713 exempts a public official under the circumstances mentioned by Treñas. The actual quote of Section 7 (d) of the law above is very clear and is to be applied in a general manner as stressed in the phrase “in connection with…any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office”.

Is it not that making the city and its environment safe a function of their office? Is it not that the health of Iloilo City residents a part of the function of their office? Is issuing a business permit to PPC and ensuring that PPC is operating with the best interest of the City not a part of the function of their office?

Is it not their function to objectively study and make a stand on such important issue as the building of a coal plant right in the middle of the city? So how can Iloilo City residents now expect that their City officials will be objective and be on the side of the City’s environment and people’s health when it comes to the issue of the building of a coal plant?

What happened to integrity?

Treñas, Mabilog and these councilors should know better. As public officials, they should ensure that their actions and position on issues is beyond reproach. They should not allow their office to be tarnished by such mindless action.

To remind our “honorable” public officials, below is the “Declaration of Policies” of RA 6713:

“It is the policy of the State to promote a high standard of ethics in public service. Public officials and employees shall at all times be accountable to the people and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity…”

Actually, even without RA 6713 or any law, common sense will tell you that as public officials, accepting this junket is plainly inappropriate. This is in fact not only a question of law but more so a question of integrity.

But well maybe I am expecting so much from our public officials. Maybe common sense and integrity are characteristics that are really not that common among these politicians.

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Happy 30th Anniversary to UP in the Visayas’ Validus Amicitia Brotherhood! Congratulations for thirty years of powerful friendship. More power, amigos!

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Gloria’s 7 Social Sins

“The cause of liberty becomes a mockery if the price to be paid
is the wholesale destruction of those who are to enjoy liberty.”
- by Mahatma Gandhi


Mahatma Gandhi would have been very happy to witness the presentation of a scroll containing his very own “Seven Social Sins” to Gloria Arroyo on her recent visit to India. While addressed to society as a whole, Gandhi’s “Seven Social Sins” is actually very appropriate reading for unscrupulous politicians like Arroyo.

We sure hope that Gandhi’s words of wisdom could penetrate the callous hearts of these trapos (traditional politicians). Of course that is granting that these rotten politicians still have the conscience left to see beyond their own interests.

Now, here are the seven social sins as proclaimed by the great Mahatma Gandhi: (1) Wealth Without Work, (2) Pleasure Without Conscience, (3) Knowledge Without Character, (4) Commerce Without Morality, (5) Science Without Humanity, (6) Religion Without Sacrifice, and (7) Politics Without Principle.

Here are some of my reflections on these social sins as exemplified by Gloria Arroyo, her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo and their cohorts.

Wealth Without Work. Gloria Arroyo and her husband have exhibited this numerous times already. Recent example would be the controversial NBN project. This power couple is trying to broker a P15 billion project, earn hefty kickbacks in the process by simply using the office the President. Sa-ching! Easy money!

Pleasure Without Conscience. An example of this was Gloria’s ambition to be the President of the country at all costs. As captured in her famous “Hello Garci” conversations, she would even agree to let Garci and men kidnap a poor teacher whose a witness to her election cheating in Mindanao. All in the name of pleasure to be the “elected” President of the Philippines!

Knowledge Without Character. Gloria sure has lots of knowledge given her economist (kuno) background. However this knowledge is useless if she continues to ignore the basic concepts of economic equity and social justice.

Commerce Without Morality. This is exemplified by the many business deals Arroyo and friends brokered with the Philippine government to corner handsome contracts. Also let us not forget Jose Pidal who stashed away millions in deposits in controversial deals with the Arroyo government.


Science Without Humanity. Well, what could be a better example than implementing a high technology project such as the national broadband project? This project will result in millions more of additional debt for the Filipinos (not to mention millions more of kickbacks for Gloria and husband!). Gloria said this would enable students even in the remotest municipalities to access the Internet and learn. Yeah right! Students who have barely anything to eat or do not even have a decent classroom are so excited to browse the worldwide web.

Religion Without Sacrifice. Like many other politicians, Gloria Arroyo has the propensity to project a religious image especially during election period. These trapos summon the support of the Cardinals, the pastors, the priests, the imams and what have you, as they present themselves as god-fearing individuals. Old tricks but the sad fact is, it works!
Politics Without Principle. Now, in this last one Gloria Arroyo would receive the highest honors. I don’t know if I still need to give an instance. Examples are all over the place! Go figure.