Bataan Clergy Pushes Dismantling of Nuke Plant

MANILA, July 30, 2010- Catholic Church officials in Bataan appealed to the government to dismantle the mothballed nuclear facility in their province.

While lauding President Aquino's decision against the revival of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, totally dismantling it, they said, could bring more positive reception from the people there.Monsignor Tony Dumaual fears that until the BNPP structures and facilities are there, the possibilities for it to be revived lingers on.

"We are grateful because it's almost certain that it will not be revived (under the Aquino administration) but we still have this fear that it will be opened (in the future)," he said over Church-run Radyo Veritas.

Dumaual said they are also seeking a meeting with President Aquino to raise their clamor of finally dismantling outright the 600 megawatt nuke plant.

Aquino earlier scrapped proposals to revive the $2.3 billion nuclear facility as an option to address the country's power needs.

His mother, the late and former President Corazon Aquino, mothballed the BNPP in 1986 due to safety concerns.

But Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said the chief executive's policy decision against the BNPP does not necessarily mean that the government is totally closed to it.

"We are evaluating it. We have been told that there have been significant technological advancements relative to safety," Almendras said.

In a pastoral statement last year, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also asked for the dismantling of the BNP and urged government instead to use renewable energy.

The prelates said that instead of looking at nuclear energy, the government should strictly implement the renewable energy law, and explore such sources of energy. (CBCPNews)