Mindanao December

[Gen San Chris]

Only the future will tell exactly what will happen! I do not like the Power Plant being built there but if it does go ahead then we cannot stop that!
After the problems here last week who can really tell what will happen, we can only wait and see!
I grew up with coal and have seen first hand the damage it causes both to property and health and now they talk about clean coal! I really hope that if the plant gets built then it actually has the best new methods to keep the air clean but unfortunatly, so many lies have been told already then again I say, only the future will give us the answer! Unfortunatly!

 

[CODMAN]

I understand and agree with many of your arguments Paul. The bottom line is: the best thing for the environment is to stop any human activity in the area. But that's not realistic. I'm sure this investment will help a lot of people and the area in it,s economic development. Wealthy countries around the world have become rich in great part from destroying and polutinmg their environments (mine is still doing it! :shocked2. We are now rich, comfortable, and want to keep others from doing it... It's questionable at the least...

Anyways...

I did not know I had gotten so controversial.

First, let me address the militarized question. Since they moved in across to street from us, I have not seen a single military guy roaming around. I know they are there but have not seen them. I spoke to the battalion commander and we talked about why they chose this spot. He said that our area in maasim is considered to be the rear of his area of responsibility. This means there is no apparent danger in this area. His school of thought is you put your HQ in this area so it is in no danger. This ensures that the supply train and all other administrative functions of the battalion will not be in danger of being cut should some violence erupt at the forward areas.

They do have to put a detachment near the power plant as it only makes sense. This location just makes it easier. If anyone else is willing to invest 500 million dollars or even less, you can be sure that the military will try to protect it. Even our small investment has been given a small police detachment.

I have never guaranteed complete safety for anyone. Only God can do this. I can say however that it is just as safe here as it was six months ago. Nothing has changed. I have a guest right now from Hawaii who takes the public transportation to Gensan at even 830 at night. I maintain that I feel safer walking these streets at 2 am than any major city in the world, maybe excluding the vatican. Last Friday, I drove home at 1030 with my family. Last night at 9 pm. Always unarmed and felt I was in no danger.

Second, I have always told anyone who asks what my position on the power plant is. Anyone who cares to know should just ask me point blank. I do not go around spouting off to anyone who will listen or read. Frankly, I dont see the point in it.

I am in favor big time of the power plant going in next door. All my concerns have been addressed by them. Basically, it boils down to all their emissions will be under not only the Philippine limit but also the World Bank and EU standards. Nox and Sox are within standards. Mercury and all other metals are within standards. CO2 emisions are within standards and even if they do not need to create a carbon sink, they are going to. I do not claim to know more than all the scientists in the world who came up with those standards. They know far more than me and I am not in a position to contradict them. Anyone who does has no proof. So my thinking is if these standards are wrong, then we should change the laws and not stop a law abiding company from helping out the local economy.

The plant will not get any water from the bay or discharge into the bay so thermal pollution is out. Fly ash will be sold to cement plants in Iligan. Electricity prices will go down by 80 centavos. Local taxes are estimated at 40 million a year.

Its not all about the money. I just have seen no proof that it will pollute the environment. There is a plant in the middle of Helsinki and Taipei. I have been to the one in Thailand and the surrounding environment is very clean. All the anti have shown me are pictures of obsolete plants and data from those plants. I feel that this is a debate about what might happen in the future, both sides are just opinions.

There were many old coal plants in the US and Europe. They have done more to damage the ozone than anyone else. They were afforded this stepping stone to develop. Now that Clean Coal technology exists, we will stop a place like Maasim from developing????

As an aside, there is no such thing as clean coal. Clean coal technology is a term coined to power plants whose emissions are within the standards. As the Brazilian president said just a few days ago, and I paraphrase, I do not want any gringo to tell a brazilian that he has to go hungry so he can sit under a tree. In response to deforestation issues.

Next, we are expanding at LemLunay Resort. We are building 10 more rooms, a swimming pool, a lounge and seminar facilities. This decision to expand was made on 4 things. The power plant, elections coming up, a navy base to be built nearby, and the establishment of the MAKIMA industrial triangle, which encompasses our area. These 4 things just made the time to be ripe to expand. The powerplant people are under no obligation to stay at our place and use our facilities. I hope they will as someone has to pay for our expansion and divers just dont cut it.

Again, I am not trying to change anyones mind. I have never posted my opinion because it is mine and changes nothing when shared. But it seems as if I have been called out so I decided to reply. This is also my last post on the subject because no one is going to change my mind, just as I will never change your minds. My time is better spent completing my construction.

No one has any proof that a power plant will destroy the area. All I can do is to make sure they stick to their commitments on emissions. Because of this i have joined the multi sectoral team to monitor their emissions. Its the least I could do. At least I feel that I am helping to police the power plant. I encourage anyone in this area to do the same, if they feel strongly about it. The monitoring team has the authority to halt their operations if they are not complying with their commitments.

There is no such thing as clean coal, but there is clean enough to help our poor area develop.

 

[jr.dm]

Codman, if a coal fired power plant needs to be built in Southern Mindanao, ( I am not saying that one needs to be built), there is many other areas where it can be built that are not so important to the marine environment. Southern Mindanao has very few coral reefs left that have not been damaged or destroyed. They want to build the coal fired power plant adjacent to the best and most acessable coral reef and wall left in the area.

 

[tboxcar]

As a long time friend to many of my fellow divers here, I won't go into the security issue, hell, just coming home last night in front of my place police cars and paramedics were attending to a beat up homeless prick on the corner, another story. "Homeless in San Francisco"

It's just too bad we can't use renewable energy sources, too bad there was not an easy way to capture the strength and power of the current in front of Paul's and John's place, wouldn't that be unreal.

Not to pick a fight but it's easy for the Canadians to sit back and preach, (correct me if I'm wrong) I'm not sure if they have spent any time at either Paul's place or in Gen San. I have been going there every year for 5 years now, and have enjoyed the company and good diving of the parties here. It's just a shame to see things go this way.

The real culprit here is 'overpopulation' not just in PI, but around the world. Energy, clean water, food (over fished oceans).

Global warming is an issue that won't be solved overnight, but overpopulation can be. We humans are our 'worst enemies', we have finite resources, but we live like there is no tomorrow, and the way we are going there won't be!

Top of my tank guys, coming over, getting too cold here

 

[Mike Veitch]

Where was the Canadian preaching? i missed that..

 

[tboxcar]

Mike, It was meant towards Chip and Codman, as I know you are based pretty much over here, and I don't know is BC still a part of Canada?

I'm not sure if Codman and Chip have spent any time down at Paul's place, and if so, then please excuse me, as it's a very pretty spot looking over a pristine reef.

World Wide Diver and Jr. DM and Paul are all my friends, and they are all great people and the type of people I would sit down to dinner with, go diving with, and do whatever for them. This is their 'backyard' what they are talking about and it's a very emotionally charged issue. With that said, maybe Chip and Codman have the wrong idea about WWD? WWD certainly does not 'mince words' when it comes to this issue. I might have worded it differently, but that is me, and everyone has a right to their opinion.

Mike, assuming you are still in Lembeh, get that flight to Davao and drop on down to Tinoto point and check out the reef, and the area where the proposed coal power plant is going to be built, you might get a better feel for what is really going on there and the diving is great, not Lembeh, but Tinoto great!

 

[jr.dm]

Hey tboxcar if we are so great and you would do whatever for us, how come you did not agree with the threesome?

 

[tboxcar]

Marie is here now, and she's laughing hard, can't think of a good come back, but will soon As you know Marie has alot of experience in this field

 

[jr.dm]

Tell her Moalboal baby!

 

[CODMAN]

Not trying to preach Box. Canada, and many other very rich countries have destroyed a good part of their environment in order to make a profit from it. It's a fact. In fact, our present government has even accelerated things and has no environmental consciense whatsoever. They are ruining what is left here, in the namen of profit. So I'm sorry, but I can not condem a country that is tryin to develop for doing the same. If anybody should be condemned, it's us who have the economy to choose durable development rather than raping the land.

I fully understand that this project can (and probably will) have terrible impacts for the local reef. By no means do I think this is a good thing. But I've also seen some of the back country of the Philippines and I know that economic development is dearly needed. And I figure that even if this project is bad for the environment, and the promoters are "corrupt" as insinuated above, there will be positive economic impacts for the area. And that is dearly needed if I'm not mistaken.

I'm not saying this project is good, or I'm glad it's going through. What I am saying is that it's easy for people like me, sitting nice and comfy in front of their Giant screen TV, making a good salary, or having made a good salary for many many years, in countries that have become rich by exploiting their natural resources (sometimes very savagely) to have an ecological conscience and think about the health of the reef there (even if it just happens to be my favorite diving spot). I'm not (or the others aren't) the one struggling to make ends meet with my family in a country with limited employment possibilities. When you have a hard time making ends meet, an ecological conscience is a Luxury...

I fully appreciate this is a passionate subject for you guys (and I understand and agree with many of your arguments against it), and that it concerns your favorite diving grounds. But I sure as Heck can't condem this project or people around there for wanting to develop their local economy. Especially when my country is pushing foreward some of the most polluting economical development of the planet!

This isn't the truth, it's just my oppinion... No more... No less... And I don't think you have to have visited the area extensively to have an oppinion on this subject.

As a long time friend to many of my fellow divers here, I won't go into the security issue, hell, just coming home last night in front of my place police cars and paramedics were attending to a beat up homeless prick on the corner, another story. "Homeless in San Francisco"

It's just too bad we can't use renewable energy sources, too bad there was not an easy way to capture the strength and power of the current in front of Paul's and John's place, wouldn't that be unreal.

Not to pick a fight but it's easy for the Canadians to sit back and preach, (correct me if I'm wrong) I'm not sure if they have spent any time at either Paul's place or in Gen San. I have been going there every year for 5 years now, and have enjoyed the company and good diving of the parties here. It's just a shame to see things go this way.

The real culprit here is 'overpopulation' not just in PI, but around the world. Energy, clean water, food (over fished oceans).

Global warming is an issue that won't be solved overnight, but overpopulation can be. We humans are our 'worst enemies', we have finite resources, but we live like there is no tomorrow, and the way we are going there won't be!

Top of my tank guys, coming over, getting too cold here