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!