NPA threatens to stop operation of power plants
Credit to Author: AL JACINTO, TMT| Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2019 17:33:10 +0000
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Communist rebels on Thursday warned they would paralyze and halt the operation of a coal-fired power plant three days after insurgents raided the facility in the southern Philippine province of Misamis Oriental.
Norsen Manggubat, spokesman for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in the troubled region, lauded insurgents for the daring raid on Mindanao Energy
Systems, Inc. (Minergy) in the village of Quezon in Balingasag town where New People’s Army (NPA) members disarmed security guards and seized five high-powered weapons and other military hardware.
“The CPP-North Central Mindanao Region lauds the operatives of NPA-Misamis Oriental for its roaring disarmament operation against the security guards of Minergy,” Manggubat said.
“The NPA’s military action is highly justifiable because of the grave legal injury and damage the Minergy induces to the residents and to the people.”
He said Minergy’s operation, which started in 2017, dislocated dwellers from their homes and livelihood.
As soon as Minergy started its operation, health risks among the residents were evident, according to Manggubat, who claimed that vegetation in the area were covered in coal ashes from an ash lagoon and also threatened the ecological balance in the town and contaminate the sea and potable water sources with toxic substances. He also blamed the power plant for massive fish kill in the past years.
He said Minergy is also present in Misamis Oriental’s Claveria and Jasaan towns and despite the existence of these companies, the people are still deprived of fair energy service from the government.
“The people detested Minergy and other anti-people and anti-environment multinational companies. These aggravated the residents’ severe condition,” Manggubat said.
“This will serve as a warning to Minergy and other companies who are only serving for the interest of profit. The revolutionary movement is ever determined to paralyze and halt Minergy’s operation.”
Manggubat was referring to the operations of coal-fired power plants Steag State Power Inc., and FDC Misamis Power Corp. in the town of Villanueva, also in Misamis Oriental.