Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra yesterday said he stands pat on his personal position against the entry of the Philippine National Oil Co-Energy Development Corp. into the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park buffer zone to tap more geothermal energy, but admitted that he can not do anything about it if government goes ahead with the project.

However, Former Senator John Osmeña yesterday said allowing PNOC-EDC’s entry in to the buffer zone to tap more geothermal energy for its North Negros Geothermal Power Plant in Bago City is  the most  immediate and expeditious answer to the current power problem Negros is facing.

“There is no free meal, if we want power, we have to make a sacrifice,” said Osmeña, who was chairman of its Committee on Energy while in the Senate.

Gov. Isidro Zayco yesterday said he expects the Negros Occidental Sanggunian to come up with a decision on whether to concur with PNOC-EDC’s plan to enter the buffer zone or not next week.

We are giving everybody a chance to air their views and be heard on the matter, he said.

We will go with the sentiment of the majority, he said.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said he met with Navarra Wednesday night to explain the need for the PNOC-EDC entry into the buffer zone to meet a serious power shortage in Negros Occidental.

The NNGP that has a capacity for 49 megawatts currently generates only 4 megawatts.

Reyes said he understands the concern of the bishop and the environment groups on the need to prevent environmental damage within the buffer zone and assured that measures would be taken to address them.

The bishop yesterday said Reyes has asked to meet with him and persons opposed to the buffer zone entry because of the damage it will do to its biodiversity on Monday, to present the government position and mitigating measures to be taken.

The bishop said he told Reyes  he personally holds on to his position, but it would be good if he could meet with the other oppositors so if the project pushes through they would understand what is going to be done.

“My position is still the same, but if government pushes through with the program let it be, we cannot do anything about it,” he said.

Osmeña said there has really been no provision for power in Negros and Panay in all of the planning that was being done by the Department of Energy since 2002.

The first geothermal project in the Visayas in Leyte was really envisioned to feed its electricity to Luzon, he said.

That is why the transmission line they built from Leyte went through Bicol to Luzon, and not to Negros, he pointed out.

The link between Cebu and Negros Oriental was built to be able to deliver power from the Palinpinon Geothermal Power Plants in Negros Oriental to Cebu, and not for transmission of power from Leyte to Cebu to Negros, he said.

Osmeña said he and then National Power Corp. president Ernesto Aboitiz questioned why the power from Leyte was being sent to Manila, and prompted the building the submarine cables that has allowed power to brought to Negros, too.

In short, he said, Negros and Panay have fallen victim to imperial Manila and Cebu

That is why he has been warning since 2001 that Negros and Panay are going to have power shortages, he said.

The NNPP would have been able to address the power shortage of Negros unfortunately PNOC-EDC was not allowed into the buffer zone, he said.

The NNPP is the most immediate and the most expeditious answer to the current power problem, within 10 to 12 months they could drill wells in the buffer zone for additional geothermal power, he said.

But this would require political will to overcome the resistance from the NGOs and the bishop, he said

Osmeña said he is challenging those opposed to PNOC-EDC’s entry into the buffer zone to look at what the National Power Corp. has done in Negros Oriental.

“The forest reserve being protected by NPC in the area where the Palinpinon Geothermal Power Plants are is one of the best forested areas in the country,” he said.

“It is expensive to protect nature and the one who does it is the one who benefits from the forest directly, and in this case, it is the power company,” he said.

Osmeña said if the NNPP goes full steam with the production of 49 megawatts, it will solve the power shortage in Negros for four to five years giving enough time to pursue co-generation of power at sugar mills and hydro power for the long term.

“Negros officials and businessmen should grab the bull by the horns and take the initiative in solving the problem, and stop depending on the national government,” Osmeña said.

A provincial energy task force could map out such plans, he suggested.*CPG

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