The members of Cadiznon Kontra Coal yesterday expressed their disappointment in the city officials of Cadiz for keeping a blind eye on the health and environment impacts of a coal fired power plant that is being proposed to the city, its president, Arnold Tapangam, said.

Tapangam said it is an insult that government officials are showing their obvious support to the establishment of the coal fired powered plant in Brgy. Banquerohan.

In a recent symposium held at the Dr. Vicente Gustilo Memorial National High School, he said that Dr. Romeo Quijano, a toxicologist, presented various diseases due to coal, and he claimed that none of the city officials presented it during its public forums.

Tapangam said there are three doctors among their city officials yet none of them said a word about the hazardous health impacts.

Anna Abad, climate and energy campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines, told the DAILY STAR they are helping CKC in their campaign and will conduct a legal option workshop to give them ideas on possible actions they can take.

She said that there is no such thing as clean coal as ashes that pollute the environment are harmful to people’s health. Fly ash contains arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury that are all hazardous to people and to the environment, she added.

She also said that based on their research, the energy demand of the city is only at 1.5 mega watts until 2015, thus the establishment of CFPP does not justify the need for an additional power source.

Anti-coal leaders of Pulupandan town also supported the cause of CKC after being in the same situation where in 2002 they successfully stopped the establishment of a CFPP in their town, she said.*LTG

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