Cojuangco rebuffs Prelate who bashed BNPP

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO – Gubernatorial aspirant Mark Cojuangco assails Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos on his negative stance on the possible utilization of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to avert the power crisis that grips the country.

Gubernatorial aspirant Mark Cojuangco as
 guest speaker recently of the supplemental feeding
 program in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
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Cojuangco, who was the guest speaker of the supplemental feeding program here, said that he could not understand Bishop Santos pronouncements opposing the BNPP as solution to the looming power crisis next year.

“Hindi ko po maintindihan bakit ang namumuno sa local na simbahan ay may ganyang position na well iyong Santo Papa mismo, iyong nakaraan na Santo Papa, si Benedict XVI ay pabor siya sa nuclear power kung ito ay magagamit para mabawasan ang kahirapan ng mga mahihirap na mga kapus-palad sa buhay,” he stressed.

 Santos recently issued a pastoral statement stressing that his diocese would counter any plans to use nuclear power to generate electricity in the country, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ website said.

“The Diocese of Balanga has decided… [we] are against this [move] and this stand will not change,” Santos said, citing the lobbying by some business groups in favor of nuclear energy to solve what energy officials say is a looming power supply crisis next year.

Cojuangco refuted Santos’ recommendation that the alternatives for the country’s power woes are not nuclear but solar and windmill.

He explained that the prelate deceives the people because his proposal will only aggravate the already expensive power rates in the country.

“Iyan po ay paglilinlang sa atin. Iyan po ay magpapamahal ng kuryente lalong magpapamahal ng mahal na  po na kuryente at iyan po ay mag-destabilize ng hindi na masyadong established na grid natin. Dadalas po ang brown-out, mamahal po ang kuryente kung iyan po ang solusyon na gagawin natin”.

Sen. JV Ejercito and former Rep. Mark Cojuangco, President Benigno Aquino’s cousin have been calling the government to consider using the BNPP to avert a power shortage in 2015.

According to Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla, the country will be reeling with a daily three to four hours brownout after the country’s power supply will suffer a shortage of 700 megawatts.

The looming shortage does not only inconvenience Filipinos but become a boogeyman to discourage local and foreign investors.

The former three term solon wonders why Catholic’s priests become wannabe expert on nuclear plant when they did not have a formal study like engineering on the subject.

“ Siguro dapat pakinggan nila ang magkabilang panig kasi hindi pa po nila ako nadinig tungkol sa mga sagot ko sa mga issues na iyan. Dapat siguro para maging patas sila pakinggan muna nila ang dalawang panig bago po sila gumawa ng paghatol”.

Cojuangco has been a staunch advocate for cheap power produced by BNPP.

One kilowatt of power from the 620 MW BNPP would cost the consumer P2.50 only while power supplied by the present power providers that used coal, hydro power, or diesel cost the public P11 per Kilowat