Mayor slams anti-coal group

Members dared not to use coal-generated electricity

SUAL, Pangasinan – Short of tagging them as hypocrites, Mayor Roberto Arcinue once more dared critics of coal-fired power plant not to patronize electricity produced by the Sual Power Plant.

Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Roberto Arcinue

 “The Save Sual Movement members should start using reusable energy like solar panel to show their sincerity in their advocacy and not electricity sourced from coal power plant,” he said.

The group had been opposing the construction of coal-fired plants in the locality, claiming that these power generating facilities are polluting the local environment.

However, they never came up with any evidence or document to prove their allegation that the existing Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant being operated by Team Energy is causing any pollution in the surrounding areas, Arcinue said.

“Kung may pollution sana, wala yang mga hundreds of fish cages sa tabi ng nasabing power plant,” he pointed out.

This first class town is home to some 750 world-class fish cages located in Sual Bay near the power plant that produce about 60 metric tons of bangus (milkfish) every day being sold to major fish markets like Navotas and Malabon in Metro Manila.

Arcinue also cited the town’s flourishing tourism industry brought about by an increasing number of resorts and recreation spots, notably the Masamirey Cove Resorts where bookings are made three months in advance.

In barangay Pangascasan where the said power plant is located, farmers have been enjoying good rice and vegetable harvests averaging from 80 to 120 sacks of rice per hectare.

“Nasaan ang pollution na sinasabi nila?” he said.

Mayor Arcinue stressed that the taxes being collected from the operation of the power plant enabled the municipality to become a first class town from being a fourth class municipality.

Since then, the municipal government was able to implement various development programs and projects that have improved the lives of the Sualenos.

These programs and projects include a news municipal hall, sport complex, well-paved and well-maintained municipal and barangay roads, multi-purpose vehicles and health centers including multi-purpose covered courts for all the barangays, police patrol car and ambulances, hospital, school buildings, and many more.

With the power plant, hundreds of residents have found well-paying jobs in the said facility, he added.

The mayor was confident that with the construction of another coal-fired power plant in barangay Baquioen, more development programs and projects would be pursued by the municipal government that would certainly benefit the residents here.

He said a multi-national company from South Korea is eyeing this burgeoning town for the construction of a two-billion US dollars power plant that would provide employment to no less than two thousand residents.\

The proposed power facility has a generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts that would greatly boost the country’s power supply to address the high cost of electricity and growing demand due to the influx of foreign investors.

Presently, power rates in the Philippines are the third highest in Asia and fourth in the Asia-Pacific region, said a survey done by the International Energy Consultants (IEC), an Australia-based consulting firm specializing in Asian power markets.

IEC Managing Director Dr. John Morris, who led the study, said the results of the study reflect the period January 2016 compared with January 2012.

The Philippines’s power rates, he added, are also the 16th highest in the world.

The study cited low generation capacity vis-a-vis growing demand as the main reason for the high cost of  electricity in the country.

This is why President Duterte welcomed the construction of coal-fired power plants to address the country’s growing demand for energy spawned by increasing population and influx of investors.

Coal remains to be the cheapest source of high-volume electricity in the country.

Mayor Arcinue said that to prove their sincerity in opposing coal-fired power plants, the officers of the so-called Save Sual Movement should refrain from using electricity produced by the said power plant. (PRESS RELEASE)