Youth groups oppose nuke power plants in Pangasinan

MANILA, Philippines - Youth groups in Pangasinan aired their opposition to a move by provincial leaders to make the province host to, not just one, but two nuclear power plants.

John Cemon Jayme,Pangasinan coordinator of youth party-list group Kabataan, said that college students as well as several youth groups in the province denounced the seeming concerted efforts of provincial leaders to make their home province a home to nuclear power plants despite serious environmental concerns.

“We strongly oppose any move to make Pangasinan a home to nuclear power plants,” Jayme told The Star in a phone interview.

Jayme said that with the province falling within the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and having earthquake fault lines in its boundaries, Pangasinan is not an ideal place to be the site of a nuclear plant.

Taking up the cudgels for youth groups opposing the nuclear power plant proposal in Pangasinan, former justice secretary and Pangasinan assemblyman Demetrio Demetria, who is running for the province’s fifth congressional district in the coming May polls, branded as “indifferent” and “callous” the recent public statements of incumbent Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco regarding the supposed lack of time for conducting dialogues for the proposed nuclear plants to be constructed in Pangasinan.

Demetria said that time constraints should not be used to railroad any move to build nuclear power plants in the province and that provincial leaders could assume to task of deciding on the issue in behalf of their constituents.

“That’s hogwash. This is not an ordinary situation, the lives of people are at stake, the welfare of the whole province is at stake,” Demetria said. 

“It is the role of elected officials to see to the welfare of the people but not to compromise it,” Demetria said.  – Rainier Allan Ronda