LUCENA CITY—A protest rally is brewing against the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) resolution approving several development projects of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) in Pagbilao and Sariaya, Quezon.
Fr. Warren Puno, director of Ministry of Ecology at the Diocese of Lucena; and Jay Lim, constituency building program director of Tanggol Kalikasan, have filed at the SP a manifesto expressing the opposition of the church and several nongovernmental organizations against the SP resolution approved on December 17.
Rushel Jusi Cabana, an employee from the Records division of SP, received the manifesto on January 18, for inclusion in the agenda of the SP’s regular session.
“It is sad that our elected officials themselves—our representatives at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and even the governor—appear to side with big corporations like SMC instead of protecting the rights of the residents who elected them to power,” the letter-manifesto, signed by Puno, said in Filipino.
The manifesto added the SP did not give the local communities a forum such as a public hearing to express their opposition. It also asked the SP members headed by vice governor and presiding officer Samuel Nantes if they adequately deliberated on the issue which the SP approved in SP resolution 2018-847, “expressing the full support of the provincial government of Quezon by approving the list of proposed projects of SMC in the province and interposing no objection to its implementation and operation.”
Ramon Ang, president and COO of SMC, has written Gov. David Suarez with the list of projects and requested the latter to facilitate the favorable endorsement and approval by the SP.
The proposed projects to be established in Pagbilao include the 2-milllion tons per year cement plant with Co-gen plant, up to 1.200-megawatts CFB power plant (clean coal technology), deep sea port, all with the proposed location in Barangay Ibabang Polo; dressing plant, slaughterhouse, ready-to-eat (RTE) plant to be located in Barangay Ilayang Palsabangon; logistics center and quarry to be located in Barangay Ilayang or Ibabang Palsabangon and Barangay Ilayang Bagumbungan.
Those to be set up in Sariaya include a tank farm, brewery, feedmill and cement grinding plant, pier and port facilities all proposed to be located in Barangay Castañas or Barangay San Roque Guisguis.
There will also be proposed access road and site development and relocation/resettlement sites for target areas in both towns.
The move was initiated by SP member Ferdinand Talabong and unanimously seconded by his colleagues. The resolution cited for its reason that “the establishment and development of various industries and businesses will provide employment and additional revenue that would accelerate and ensure the growth of the province and directly benefit the people of Quezon.”