Stop deceiving our people, Sual mayor tells detractors

SUAL, Pangasinan – Mayor Roberto Arcinue called on the officials of the Save Sual Movement to refrain from misleading the residents about the signature campaign being pursued by village leaders, womenfolk, and leaders of the academe.

Coal Fired Power Plant in Sual Pangasinan
owned by TEPCO, Marubeni of Japan.

The signature campaign is in support of the entry of another coal-fired power plant in Sual.

Mayor Arcinue said that one leader of the pseudo organization – an alleged priest – is engaged in deception by telling people that power plant advocates are getting the residents to sigh blank papers.

“This is unfortunate because his (priest) claim is an insult to the people of Sual who know better than to sign blank papers or coupon bonds,” Arcinue said.

Attached to the Manifesto of Support are coupons on which the residents write their respective names and addresses and affix their signatures, he said. Hundreds of residents have already signed up.

More residents, including women, barangay officials, drivers, employees, educators and students have expressed their willingness to sign up if they get hold of the manifesto, Mayor Arcinue said.

They eagerly welcome the proposal of a multi-national company to put up a state-of-the-art coal-fired power plant that could generate 1,000 megawatts, he added.

The same company is prepared to infuse over $2 billion for the construction of the power facility that is expected to help stabilize the baseload power supply of the country as many of the existing  power plants are already antiquated.

In supporting another power plant in Sual, the barangay, and women leaders as well as educators and civic leaders said the project could bring thousands of jobs for Sualenos and millions of pesos in additional taxes and revenues.

“Sa pamamagitan nito (power plant) ay magkakaroon  ng libu-libong trabaho para sa mga mamamayan, at karagdagang pondo ng bayan para sa programang pangkalusugan, agrikultura, edukasyon at paaralan, pabahay at pangkabuhayan, infrastructure, scholarship at  youth and sports development,” they said in the manifesto of support.

The mayor said  the Save Sual Movement has never come up with evidence in their claim that the existing coal-fired power plant in the locality has caused environmental pollution.

Sual is host to Sual Coal-Fired Power plant of Team Energy that produces 1,200 megawatts, the biggest in the country.

He said the Sangguniang Bayan has invited  several times  officials of the group to a dialogue and public hearing but they never showed up.

Their non-appearance gave rise to speculation that the Save Sual Movement has not a single proof to support their claim that the power plant is a source of pollution.

The proposed new power plant, Mayor Arcinue said, will use new  clean-coal technology that include ultra-supercritical fluidized bed combustion that eliminates air and water pollution.

President Duterte saw nothing wrong with the government’s plan to put up new coal-fired power plants to boost power supply in the country.

He said the Philippines will continue to use coal in power generation but will implement new technologies to minimize emissions (PRESS RELEASE)