Environment groups met with Negros Occidental officials yesterday to present their position against the entry of the Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp. geothermal project to the 169 hectares buffer zone at the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park in Bago City.

The protesting groups said in a press release that the entry will affect 7,800 trees worth P58,139,965,026.

Members of Green Alert Negros, PAP 21, Peacenet, Paghiliusa sa Paghidaet-Negros and Save Mt. Kanlaon met with Governor Isidro Zayco, Vice Governor Emilio Yulo III and Board Member May Javellana.

The group stressed that the Mt. Kanlaon is a protected areaby virtue of Republic Act 7586 otherwise known as the National Integrated Protected Area System Law and was declared as National Park in 1934, Mark Cervantes of Green Alert said in a press statement.

The group added that MKNP was named one of the 10 priority sites in the Conservation of Priority Protected Areas Project and is further protected by the Watershed Law and Wild Life Act.

The groups also presented several endemic and endangered flora and fauna that can be found inside the 169 hectares, based on the biodiversity study of MAUNSELL-Philippines, the consulting firm that PNOC commissioned.

An environmental accounting of the trees that can be found inside the 169 hectares buffer zone shows that a 50 year old tree is worth P7,453,841.67 and when computed to the total number of trees that will be affected inside the 169 hectares which will be 7,800 trees, the worth would reach P58,139,965,026, they said.

Yulo was surprised at the discrepancy of data presented by PNOC where it claimed that they will just cut about 100 trees but Green Alert Negros stressed that 7,800 trees will be affected by their project and the data came from PNOC, the press release said.

The group further stressed that there is deception on the part of PNOC to the Sanguniang Panlalawigan with regards to the data they presented, the press release said.

The group informed the provincial government officials that the 10-year validity of the Environmental Impact Assessment of PNOC for geothermal development inside Mt. Kanlaon had lapsed and a new EIA has to be acquired.

Yulo and Javellana were urged to apply the “precautionary principle” in their decision, the press release said.

Green Alert stressed that DENR has made a lot of mistakes in the past and their decision favoring PNOC to cut down trees inside the 169 hectares should be taken into serious consideration.

As an alternative, the group urged the Provincial Government to look at the potential of other renewable energy source in the province like wind, hydro and solar.*

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