The Geothermal Plant in Bacon-Manito (BacMan) May Be the Biggest Source of Alleged Pollution in Sorsogon Bay

Part Three of an Occasional Series on Sorsogon Bay

T hanks to Pilar Gabito and her Facebook page, this website was alerted by an apparent major source of pollution fouling up Sorsogon Bay. The pollution can be traced apparently to the geothermal plant being operated by the Energy Development Corporation (EDC).

Readers may refer to Ms. Gabito’s report in Part II of this series:

Sorsogon Bay: “So Near, Yet So FBAR.” The “Red Tide” Ban by the BFAR Must Be Lifted

Now, thanks again to the Facebook, Sonia Lariosa has alerted the online world, especially the Sorsoganons that communicate with each other on the Internet about the damages to rice fields along the Kawayan River. The damages are apparently caused by the waste water being discharged by the said BacMan geothermal plant. Facebook members can access the incriminating photo album in Ms. Lariosa’s page, at this hyperlink: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_113599585392357&ap=1#!/media/set/?set=a.10150294889948968.379581.720778967

In the interest of fairness and objectivity, this writer e-mailed today the EDC and Chevron of California, as the builder of the BacMan geothermal plant was the Union Oil of California (UNOCAL), has merged with Chevron. Both e-mails are reproduced in this article for documentation purposes.

Correspondence to EDC and to Chevron

June 10, 2011

Energy Development Corporation

Bldg. 5, Energy Center, Merritt Road,

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1201 Philippines

Through: The Public Relations Department

Email: pubrels@energy.com.ph

Call (+632) 667.7EDC
(667.7332)

RE: “Saving Our Sorsogon (SOS) Bay” Series of Articles

Dear Sirs:

Our Los Angeles, California-based website is running a “Save Our Sorsogon (SOS) Bay” series of investigative reports. Here are the links to the first two parts of the series:

The “Save Our Sorsogon (SOS) Bay” Initiative

URL: http://www.mabuhayradio.com/ecology-and-the-environment/the-save-our-sorsogon-sos-bay-initiative

Sorsogon Bay: “So Near, Yet So FBAR.” The “Red Tide” Ban by the BFAR Must Be Lifted

URL: http://www.mabuhayradio.com/ecology-and-the-environment/sorsogon-bay-so-near-yet-so-fbar-the-red-tide-ban-by-the-bfar-must-be-lifted

Your company, the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), is mentioned in Part II, as there are reports that the EDC has been polluting the waters of Kawayan River, to which it (EDC) discharges waste water from the geothermal plant that it operates in the mountains of Bacon (Sorsogon) and Manito (Albay). The Kawayan River is a tributary of Sorsogon Bay.

We are now preparing Part III of the series in which takes notes of the complaints of rice-field farmers along the banks of the Kawayan River against the EDC for polluting allegedly their farm lands.

Please find photos of the alleged effects of the EDC-caused pollution in this photo album as posted in the Facebook:

BAD EFFECTS OF EDC PROJECT TO RICE FIELDS

By Sonia Lariosa (Albums) · Updated on Thursday

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_113599585392357&ap=1#!/media/set/?set=a.10150294889948968.379581.720778967

In the interest of fairness and objectivity, we wish to get your side. We will give you equal-billing and space in our website.

We wish also to inquire if you built a sewage-treatment plant that would filter and treat waste water and rid it of pollutants such as sulfur before you empty the treated water to the Pacific Ocean, which is nearer to your geothermal plant than to Kawayan River that empties at Sorsogon Bay, which are of course smaller bodies of water than the Pacific Ocean.

Please provide us with as much information as you may like to share with the Reading Public about your company’s compliance with the Clean Water Act of the Philippines, which was authored incidentally by a Sorsoganon member of the Senate, the Hon. Gregorio B. Honasan, III. It would be highly ironic to note that if indeed the EDC is not complying with the Clean Water Act, it is doing the violations to the prejudice of fishermen and farmers of Senator Honasan’s home province.

Thank you for your compliance with our requested information,

Very sincerely yours,

Bobby M. Reyes,

a legal resident of Sorsogon City, Philippines,

and Editor, www.mabuhayradio.com

* * * * *

June 10, 2011

The Public Affairs Division

CHEVRON

Chevron.com

Dear Sirs:

Our Los Angeles, California-based website, the www.mabuhayradio.com, is running a series on "Save Our Sorsogon (SOS) Bay."

As per our e-mail to the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) of the Philippines, please find a copy of our correspondence to it. We have received reports that the EDC is emptying the waste water of the geothermal plant at the mountains of Bacon (Sorsogon City) and Manito (Albay Province) in the Kawayan River that empties to Sorsogon Bay.

The said geothermal plant was built by the Geothermal Division of Union Oil of California (UNOCAL), which merged with Chevron.

We wish to inquire if your present Geothermal Energy Division has in its possession the design records of the said geothermal plant in Bacon-Manito, Philippines, and whether a waste-water treatment plant was incorporated in its design and built according to specifications.

Thank you for the assistance and for your prompt reply to this inquiry in pursuit of our exercise of the freedom of the press.

Very sincerely yours,

Bobby M. Reyes

Editor

www.mabuhayradio.com

(626) 825-0628

Involving Joseph Lariosa of Chicago

T his writer will also be endorsing to Joseph G. Lariosa, the Chicago-based dean of Filipino correspondents in the United States, the matter of contacting the political leaders of Sorsogon Province. Yes, we will request the Donsol, Sorsogon-born Joseph Lariosa to contact Gov. Raul Lee, Sorsogon City Mayor Leovic Dioneda, Congressmen Sonny Escudero and Ding Ramos and Senators Chiz Escudero and Greg Honasan, III, especially since Mr. Honasan was the primary author of the Clean Water Act of the Philippines.

Mr. Lariosa will be able to get and report objectively the views and opinions of his cousin, Sonia Lariosa, and the political leaders of Sorsogon, as named in the preceding paragraph. Since this writer may become a politician in Sorsogon, he does not want the interviews with the said political elected leaders appear to be tainted with a hidden agenda. This is why there is a necessity of involving a third-party writer, who is a seasoned and multi-awarded journalist in the person of Mr. Lariosa.

As soon as we get the feedbacks from the EDC, Chevron and Mr. Lariosa, we will publish them in this website.

(To be continued . . .)