Bishops buck nuclear power plant proposal

MANILA, Philippines — Bishops in at least six dioceses in Pangasinan are opposing a proposal to build a nuclear power plant in the western part of the province, citing safety and environmental and moral concerns.

Members of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and its five suffragan dioceses warned that the province’s proximity to the East Zambales fault line makes any nuclear project a risk.

The prelates – Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Auxiliary Bishop Fidelis Layog as well as bishops Daniel Presto of San Fernando in La Union, Napoleon Sipalay of Alaminos, Jacinto Jose of Urdaneta and Prudencio Andaya of Cabanatuan – signed a statement urging the government to prioritize life and the common good over profit.

Instead of nuclear power plants, the bishops urged the government to invest in solar, wind and other sustainable energy options, noting that renewable energy offers a safer long-term solution than nuclear power.