Residents protest power plant inauguration.

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire

 | January 29, 2003 | Copyright

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Mei Magsino

BATANGAS CITY-Simultaneous with President Macapagal-Arroyo's inauguration of the San Lorenzo power plant in Barangay Sta. Rita in this city, about 50 residents of Mendoza Road, also in the barangay, staged a rally against the power plant.

They alleged that the facility has brought them diseases and death. (See related story pn Page A2.)

Gaudencio Dimaandal, president of the Samahang Pinahahalagahan ang Buhay at Ari-arian (SPBA), said that since the First Gas power plant put up its high-power transmission lines along Mendoza Road, incidence of lung cancer and heart attacks rose in the neighborhood.

The SPBA claimed it has recorded three deaths from lung cancer and another three deaths from heart attack among the residents.

First Gas rented a 12-square-meter three property on which its high-power transmission power was built, Dimaandal said. "That is not enough to protect us from the electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation. And we have reason to believe that EMF caused the deaths of our neighbors," he said.

But Siemens AG's Dr. Christian Urbanke said Siemens was not responsible for the acquisition of the land where the transmission lines were erected.

"We are only the technical adviser on how the transmission lines should be built and how to manage it," Urbanke said.

He said that in Germany and many other European countries where Siemens built power plants, most of the high-power transmission lines are also located in highly residential areas.

"If there were really some concerns about the electromagnetic field, then our government shouldn't have allowed transmission lines to pass over the residential areas," Urbanke said.

"We all know how particularly strict Germany is when it comes to health concerns. Actually the residents' protest is not new. We've been dealing with that, years before. The issue centers more on land acquisition than health risk."

Dimaandal said the high-power transmission lines should have [placed within] a 50-by-50-meter zone from the nearest residential area and should never have been put up in a residential area like Mendoza Road.

"We want First Gas to buy our land and our houses located near the transmission lines," Dimaandal said. "Only then can we be given assurance that our health and lives will not be at risk from EMF radiation that could cause cancer."

SPBA records show that Dimaandal's father Calixto, 76, died of lung cancer on April 26, 1999. Other lung cancer fatalities were Francisco Banaag, 60, who died two years ago, and Gilberto Ilagan, 54, who died on July 22 last year.

Gaudencio Ilagan, 86, another resident, died last Saturday from heart attack, while Felipe Caraos, 65, and his wife Maria, 60, died on June 8, 2001.

The First Gas power plant in Sta. Rita Kalsada started commercial production in July 2000.