“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.)
Showing posts with label iloilo city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iloilo city. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Big Flaws in Fr. Celis’ Pro-Coal Arguments (# 1)
“A small rock holds back a great wave.”
- The Odyssey by Homer
Corruption in government and in Philippine society happen everyday. This culture of corruption envelopes the whole system as if it is a malignant tumor. The main beneficiaries of this sick system are big time corrupt politicians who regularly rake in millions of pesos in kickbacks from multi-million projects.
Now, why will you scold the lowly barangay captain from pocketing one thousand pesos intended for a barangay project? In proportion, a thousand pesos is an insignificant “candlelight” in the hellfire of muliti-million kickbacks.
The management of solid wastes is a global concern. These wastes pollute the earth’s water, air and land resources in such disturbing rate. Industrialized countries such as the US are the leading generators of solid waste as they churn out millions of tons of solid waste per day such as tin cans, tires, plastics, styrofoam and bottles that end up in land fills and don’t get recycled.
So why will you scold Juan who tossed his garbage over the bridge and into the river? In proportion, a bagful of garbage is an insignificant “candlelight” in the hellfire of millions of tons of solid wastes.
Fraud is rampant every time we hold our elections. Vote rigging seems to be a given, an accepted feature in our electoral exercise. Wholesale cheating is done by “operators” the likes of Garci and also with the aid of military officers. Thousands if not millions of votes get padded up to the trapo (traditional politician) with the highest bid.
Now why will you scold the one flying voter who cheated by voting twice thereby adding just one fraudulent vote? In proportion, one vote is like an insignificant “candlelight” in the hellfire of millions of fraudulent votes.
The examples I have given above utilize the same argument Fr. Espiridion Celis is using in support for the proposed construction of a coal plant in Iloilo City.
"China definitely will open two coal-fired power plants every week for the next three and half years. It is like opening a very, very big oven for global warming. Will you scold Iloilo for lighting a candle because it will heat the world? I don't think we are proportion here. There are 24 coal-fired power plants in the Philippines, why Iloilo should have not one? I do not understand," he was quoted by the local media.
Celis also added, “I'm sure that Iloilo will not contribute one-twentieth of China's (emission)”.
We human beings are supposed to be stewards of the planet we live in – a planet, which in Christian teaching, is god’s creation. So priests I suppose would be in the front line of these efforts. I also suppose that religious leaders would have higher standards than say an economist or a capitalist or a politician when it comes to the protection of mother earth.
It is simply hard to believe that a church leader will say that it is okay to pollute a little and not mind the bigger global picture. It is hard to believe that a spiritual leader will say something that is tantamount to declaring that small actions do not affect the bigger world.
Asserting that the act of putting up one more coal plant could not possibly factor materially to the planet’s pollution and contribute to global warming is exactly the kind of mindset that is worsening a lot of the world’s ills.
Simply go back to my earlier examples on corruption, solid waste problem and electoral fraud. One thousand pesos, one bagful of garbage and one fraudulent vote are certainly not in proportion to the totality of the respective problem. But can we really dismiss them as insignificant?
Corollary to this, history has proven that small actions have caused both uplifting and devastating impacts to the world.
If Mahatma Gandhi has the same mindset as articulated by Fr. Celis, then the struggle for India’s independence could have been longer and violent. Apartheid in South Africa would not have been abolished sooner if Nelson Mandela did not believe in small actions.
The end of the horrible racial segregation in the US could not have been expedited if Rosa Parks gave her bus seat up to a white person, thereby giving no spark for Martin Luther King to initiate small protest demonstrations.
Our own Andres Bonifacio could not have inspired a revolution if he did not believe that his small band of katipuneros could one day defeat the mighty Spanish military.
On the opposite side, Adolf Hitler could not have brought mayhem to the whole world if he was stopped initiating his small propaganda about his superior race that placed him on the leadership of his nation.
Now, if the quote attributed to Fr. Celis came from the prospective investor or their paid consultants, I would understand as many of them think only of the benefits to their bank accounts with little consideration to the impact to the environment and society as a whole.
Coming from a priest however makes it different as you anticipate a more insightful opinion, a profound reasoning, a moral stand. Obviously, with all due respect to the parish priest of Mandurriao, I think he has not realized the true meaning of the dictum: “think globally, act locally.”
(Send your comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337; for e-mails to ianseruelo@gmail.com.)
- The Odyssey by Homer
Corruption in government and in Philippine society happen everyday. This culture of corruption envelopes the whole system as if it is a malignant tumor. The main beneficiaries of this sick system are big time corrupt politicians who regularly rake in millions of pesos in kickbacks from multi-million projects.
Now, why will you scold the lowly barangay captain from pocketing one thousand pesos intended for a barangay project? In proportion, a thousand pesos is an insignificant “candlelight” in the hellfire of muliti-million kickbacks.
The management of solid wastes is a global concern. These wastes pollute the earth’s water, air and land resources in such disturbing rate. Industrialized countries such as the US are the leading generators of solid waste as they churn out millions of tons of solid waste per day such as tin cans, tires, plastics, styrofoam and bottles that end up in land fills and don’t get recycled.
So why will you scold Juan who tossed his garbage over the bridge and into the river? In proportion, a bagful of garbage is an insignificant “candlelight” in the hellfire of millions of tons of solid wastes.
Fraud is rampant every time we hold our elections. Vote rigging seems to be a given, an accepted feature in our electoral exercise. Wholesale cheating is done by “operators” the likes of Garci and also with the aid of military officers. Thousands if not millions of votes get padded up to the trapo (traditional politician) with the highest bid.
Now why will you scold the one flying voter who cheated by voting twice thereby adding just one fraudulent vote? In proportion, one vote is like an insignificant “candlelight” in the hellfire of millions of fraudulent votes.
The examples I have given above utilize the same argument Fr. Espiridion Celis is using in support for the proposed construction of a coal plant in Iloilo City.
"China definitely will open two coal-fired power plants every week for the next three and half years. It is like opening a very, very big oven for global warming. Will you scold Iloilo for lighting a candle because it will heat the world? I don't think we are proportion here. There are 24 coal-fired power plants in the Philippines, why Iloilo should have not one? I do not understand," he was quoted by the local media.
Celis also added, “I'm sure that Iloilo will not contribute one-twentieth of China's (emission)”.
We human beings are supposed to be stewards of the planet we live in – a planet, which in Christian teaching, is god’s creation. So priests I suppose would be in the front line of these efforts. I also suppose that religious leaders would have higher standards than say an economist or a capitalist or a politician when it comes to the protection of mother earth.
It is simply hard to believe that a church leader will say that it is okay to pollute a little and not mind the bigger global picture. It is hard to believe that a spiritual leader will say something that is tantamount to declaring that small actions do not affect the bigger world.
Asserting that the act of putting up one more coal plant could not possibly factor materially to the planet’s pollution and contribute to global warming is exactly the kind of mindset that is worsening a lot of the world’s ills.
Simply go back to my earlier examples on corruption, solid waste problem and electoral fraud. One thousand pesos, one bagful of garbage and one fraudulent vote are certainly not in proportion to the totality of the respective problem. But can we really dismiss them as insignificant?
Corollary to this, history has proven that small actions have caused both uplifting and devastating impacts to the world.
If Mahatma Gandhi has the same mindset as articulated by Fr. Celis, then the struggle for India’s independence could have been longer and violent. Apartheid in South Africa would not have been abolished sooner if Nelson Mandela did not believe in small actions.
The end of the horrible racial segregation in the US could not have been expedited if Rosa Parks gave her bus seat up to a white person, thereby giving no spark for Martin Luther King to initiate small protest demonstrations.
Our own Andres Bonifacio could not have inspired a revolution if he did not believe that his small band of katipuneros could one day defeat the mighty Spanish military.
On the opposite side, Adolf Hitler could not have brought mayhem to the whole world if he was stopped initiating his small propaganda about his superior race that placed him on the leadership of his nation.
Now, if the quote attributed to Fr. Celis came from the prospective investor or their paid consultants, I would understand as many of them think only of the benefits to their bank accounts with little consideration to the impact to the environment and society as a whole.
Coming from a priest however makes it different as you anticipate a more insightful opinion, a profound reasoning, a moral stand. Obviously, with all due respect to the parish priest of Mandurriao, I think he has not realized the true meaning of the dictum: “think globally, act locally.”
(Send your comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337; for e-mails to ianseruelo@gmail.com.)
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