Save Luzon from a nuclear catastrophe! Help educate our people about the perils of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant!We encourage everyone, specially teachers and students to help disseminate the issue about the perils of reopening the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. You can find materials here to help you discuss the issues. You can also contact us via email or this site if you want our assistance in conducting discussions in your school, barangay or network. Let us save Luzon from a nuclear catastrophe!
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Labang Walang Atrasan
Dear friends--
A. Ripe for Railroading House Bill 4631 (HB 4631) sponsored by Pangasinan Congressman Mark Cojuangco failed to pass the House Committee on Appropriations, instead of $1B to re-commission the three-decade old nuclear power plant the Committee ruled to allot Php 100 Million for a ‘ feasibility study’ (this despite past voluminous studies on the plant). Immediately, the bill was modified by members of the Committee on Energy and Appropriations (most of them are signatories to Cojuangco’s HB 4631) and was re-submitted to the Committee on Rules in substitution to four earlier bill pertaining to the BNPP (HB 1039, HB 4631, HR 250, HR 257). This came to be known as HB 6300 (An Act Mandating the Immediate Rehabilitation, Commissioning and Commercial Operation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant or Bataan Nuclear Power Plant of 2009). This bill is largely lifted from the Cojuangco proposal minus Section 21 (funds for the rehabilitation would be sourced from the national budget or through loans) and Section 22 (ten percent surcharge shall be levied on power consumers for the operation of the BNPP), in its place is the passage that allots Php 100 Million from the budget of the Department of energy “for the conduct and completion of a validation/feasibility study to determine the viability of rehabilitating, commissioning and commercially operating the BNPP as a nuclear facility…” Currently, it is one of Congress’ seven priority bills and being part of the ‘business of the day’, the bill can be tackled any time. And with more than a hundred endorsers to its credit, it is highly likely that the pros will pull out all the stops to pass the BNPP bill before Congress closes by June 3 (with possible two-day extension). B. White Terror Tactics In the past, security elements like military, police and para-military forces have been deployed by government to ‘cool the fires of protest’ by sowing seeds of fear and discord, including tagging and branding legitimate organizations as terrorist or rebel fronts. Such was the context of the illegal arrest of Archie Bathan, an anti-nuke activist in the town of Samal, Bataan. The arrest was headed by 303rd PNP Mobile Group based in Camp Tolentino, Balanga Bataan. Along with two others, Bathan was subjected to ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ (beaten and kicked). He is charged with illegal possession of firearms. Members of NFBM believe that attacks will intensify rather than lessen as the pro-BNPP are hell-bent on operating the plant. But rather than cowering in fear, such white terror tactics only embolden the resolve of the network and its supporters. C. Remembering Our Victorious Past, intensifying the Campaign Twenty-five years ago, thousands braved the ire of a dictator and marched against the Bataan Nuclear power Plant in what came to be known as Welgang Bayan Laban sa Plantang Nukleyar in 1984 and June 18-20, 1985. This was instrumental in the final push to mothball the controversial plant. It is this victory that we commemorate and hope to emulate as the campaign to dismantle the BNPP moves beyond the province of Bataan. This is the vision that the Nuclear Free Bataan Movement and its network will now work towards alongside continuing to strengthen the grass roots backbone of the campaign. Already, chapters and sectoral affiliates of the network have laid the foundation for more effective information dissemination, able to secure the support of local government, the religious (of different denominations) as well as other community-based organizations to further the call of dismantling the plant. Different forms of protest actions would be popularized and regularized by NFBM to make a mark on the public consciousness such as petition-signing, protest-centers, streamer-hanging, bell-tolling at a defined time and day among others. This June, NFBM Net will conduct a SALAKBAYAN LABAN SA PLANTANG NUKLEYAR (Caravan-March Against BNPP) which will culminate on June 20, contingents from NCR and Central Luzon are expected to participate in this event with the days leading up to it would be peppered with localized build-up activities. Following in the tradition of Welgang Bayan, there would be contingents per town merging at designated points along the route. A program would be conducted at Bgy. Tuyo in Balanga when all the contingents have finally converged. Other cities across the country are expected to echo the commemoration of Welgang Bayan with coordinated creative mass actions in their respective localities. #### Modyul Hinggil sa Pagtalakay sa Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP)at Mga Batayan ng Ating Pagtutol
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