The Presidential late-night address did not respond well to the collective cry of our Medical Health Workers—an appeal to declare the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) protocol for the Greater Manila Area to address the growing infections of COVID-19.

This appeal of our Medical Health Workers are for real to fight the virus, for they themselves are on the frontlines of healing and caring our sick Filipinos.

The call for an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) should not just be dismissed by blabbermouthed propaganda, our Medical Health Workers’ call is a manifestation of telling our government: to address the pandemic with medical solutions! They have seen how not to address it: of how this government spent billions of money on failed priorities, and allow the virus to infect more; of in-effectivity of military responses; and of political minions, military men and business interests advising on COVID crisis.

Indeed, the call of our Medical Health Workers is a revolution from the heart… They want to heal our land, they want us to be free from the virus, and more importantly, they want us to take “time-out” of our fears of the COVID-19.

It is counter-revolutionary for our government, to not heed their call, and still resort to their shadowed hard-headedness at the expense of our health safety and of the plight of our front-liners. It is counter-productive again, presenting other ways to recruit doctors and nurses in a military-way, but failing to assure the guarantee of just compensation and humanitarian assistance to those who are working in hospitals since the start of the pandemic. It is counter-Filipino of not listening and responding well to the cries of our medical front-liners!

As a pastor of the people of God, I am one with our Medical Health Workers in their call and commend their continuing heroic service to the Filipino people; remembering these words in the Bible: “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.” (Jeremiah 33:6)

Online Forum sa Anti-Terrorism Act at Epekto nito sa mga Magsasaka

Dear Friends and Peasant Advocates,

Greetings of Peace and Solidarity!

We are inviting you to a webinar forum entitled,

“Magsasaka Hindi Terorista!: Online Forum sa Anti-Terrorism Act at Epekto nito sa mga Magsasaka”

on August 7, 2020 from 2:00-5:00 PM (see attached tentative program flow).

To discuss the salient points of the Terror Law and its implications on peasant organizations and their advocates’ struggle for land, rights and justice, we have invited Atty. Chel Diokno, Chairperson of the Free Legal Assistance Group.

This will be followed by a sharing of peasant organizations and advocate groups who will serve as reactors to tell their own experience of state repression and what they foresee will be the effect of the Terror Law for their sector in the coming days.

The webinar will also feature cultural performances by Ms. Mara Marasigan of the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and Sining na Naglilingkod sa Bayan (SINAGBAYAN).

The webinar is hosted by Anakpawis, UMA, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, AMIHAN Peasant Federation of Women, PAMALAKAYA National Federation of Fisherfolk Organizations, National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates-Youth, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, SINAGBAYAN, Sama-samang Artista para sa Kilusang Agraryo, Rural Women Advocates and Sentro para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo, which have been organizing the Peasant Update Online Forum since the start of President Rodrigo Duterte’s militarist Covid-19 lockdown.

We ask “why?” and “why now?” Do we really need it? With this unprecedented and tumultuous time of Covid-19 pandemic, our priority is to instill hope and foster healing of our people, recovery of our economy and rebuilding of livelihood. We have survived and surpassed many trying years and are now progressing. Why should we decide now to have a feasibility study for the inclusion of nuclear energy in our country? Some Western countries have already shut down their nuclear plants. Why are we now propagating and thinking of nuclear energy for our country?

The potential of a nuclear meltdown, like in Chernobyl and Fukushima, will be detrimental to the environment and the local residents. Also, the amount of nuclear waste it will produce every year will be tremendous and so does the cost to dispose of it.

While nuclear power is cheap to run and produce inexpensive fuel, the cost to build and maintain the facility are exorbitant. It will cost billions of dollars. What most people do not realize is they think they will save a lot of money from their electric bill. But the cost of construction and maintenance will be an added burden to our already deep national debt, which will be paid for by our very own citizens for generations to come.

With the executive order 116, s.2020, we hope that any future study conducted will be transparent, honest, and non-partisan. Neither will it be self-serving nor for the benefit of a particular person or a certain group. The so-called feasibility study will not be geared neither for profit nor for any personal gain.

As a point of reference, take into serious consideration the findings of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) about the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. on April04, 2018. His Excellency, the Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev, declares that its revival is “not possible at all.” He authoritatively concluded that the plant is “absolutely outdated.”

The Diocese of Balanga has issued a pastoral statement dated August 16, 2014 declaring that “Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is not the answer to the present need of our people. No one is safe with BNPP. It will only bring devastation and destruction of lives and of the environment. It is not beneficial to everyone nor a blessing to our country.”

Let us not be hasty, especially when the risk or danger outweighs the benefit. If there should be a feasibility study, it must be the use and application of renewable energy such as solar, water or wind , as we have seen in Ilocos Region, the Bangui Wind Farm, which supplies forty percent of Ilocos Norte’s electricity needs.

And so with the proposal of feasibility of inclusion of nuclear energy to our country, we ask not only “why? or why now?” but more so, “why not renewable energy?”

+Ruperto Cruz Santos, DD
Bishop of Balanga
Chairman, CBCP Episcopal Commission on PCF