PNOC Replies

We at PNOC EDC have always been transparent in our operations and we welcome any inquiry about our projects. (Bulatlat.com is posting in full the reaction of PNOC-EDC on last week’s report, “PNOC Project Endangers Mt. Kanlaon; Will Displace Thousands.” The reaction came from Mr. Leonardo M. Ote, Environment and External Relations Manager, PNOC-EDC—Editor)

Leonardo M. Ote
Environment and External Relations Manager, PNOC-EDC

Dear Editor,

We write you about the article that you carried in your website Bulatlat.com Volume 2, Number 33 issue. The piece, authored by Edwin Cadagat, is full of unvalidated claims that were based on a Questionable data-gathering process.

For one, we have not done any exploration work inside the Mt. Kanlaon Park at all, as the article claims we have been doing for the past year. The DENR, as the authority of the Mt. Kanlaon Park, will attest to this and this can easily be verified on the ground any time.

The article also claims that our project will be displacing hundreds of families that we have fooled and short changed. This is totally untrue. We have identified only 41 families that could possibly be affected by our operations. From 1996 to 2000, we consulted these families while we were drafting our relocation program. They, in fact, chose the resettlement site in July 2000. In November 2000 the would-be relocates signed an agreement, which was written in both English and Ilonggo, in the presence of LGU and DAR officials. In no way were the families asked to sign "under duress".

 As in our other project sites, EDC's relocation program for Barangay Mailum is patterned after international standards for replacement of lost structures, amenities and livelihoods. Our relocation package includes replacement homes, lots, water, electricity and farmlands. The resettlement site in now under construction.

No where in the agreement does it say that PNOC would pay P3 million to an individual for crop damages as the article states. We compensate the affected farmers according to what the law requires us to pay. To date we have paid a total of P8.7 million in crop damages to 32 farmers. We will be providing a one-hectare land to farmers who have legitimate rights overtheir farms and half a hectare to tenants and squatters as part of our livelihood commitment to these farmers.

The accusations of water contamination and fish kill are also baseless. On top of our daily environmental monitoring, an independent multi-sectoral group also does an environmental audit of our project regularly.

The results of their audit two weeks ago, as well as our own sampling indicate compliance with all DENR standards for water, air and noise quality.

The presence and cause of skin diseases on three children needs to be validated. We agreed with the groups to bring the children to the hospital for a scientific third party assessment of the case. But the barangay officials, as well as the local health unit, have so far not received any report of an outbreak of skin diseases among the many children who swim in the river daily. The local government and the agriculture office have also recently certified that no illness has resulted from our operations.

We question the manner in which the fact-finding exercise was conducted and thus the results of the exercise as well. DENR and international protocols for such activities require a system for validation such as counter sampling and analysis by all parties involved and by a third party laboratory.

This unfair reporting of unvalidated data is exactly what Mailum Barangay Captain Ruben Torres wanted to avoid which is why he tried calling for a meeting with all parties involved before the activity. He wanted the local authorities, the regulatory agencies as well as the PNOC EDC to be part of the site visit to ensure transparency and objectivity of the exercise. Unfortunately, the proponents of the alleged fact-finding mission repeatedly ignored this request for a meeting.

As for the unfair labor practices that the article enumerates, we let our various model employer awards bestowed upon us by the DOLE and PMAP speak for themselves. The court, in fact, dismissed already a related labor case last September 2 because of its lack of merit.

We at PNOC EDC have always been transparent in our operations and we welcome any inquiry about our projects. But we will always condemn media reports that are based on half-truths and baseless claims. We trust that the Bulatlat.com, anchored on the journalism tenets of truth and fairness, will also grant us the space to publish our side of this story.

Very truly yours,

Leonardo M. Ote
Environment and External Relations Manager
pubrels@energy.com.ph
26 Sep 2002

Bulatlat.com

We want to know what you think of this article.