“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.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
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.
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