MARIVELES, Bataan- Mayor Jesse Concepcion on Monday ordered the temporary stoppage of the delivery of coal imported from other countries in a port facility here due to alleged health and environmental hazard.
Concepcion said he asked the shipyard in the seaside village of Lucanin to just consume the coal stock-piled in their wharf and build the proper infrastructures and proper storage facility before importing new products.
He said villagers complained of coal dust particles in the area and the pollution of the sea.
“The shipyard should build a warehouse where coal dustswill not be spreading in the community like what GN Power Plant did in having its own covered stockyard with wind breaker,” the mayor said.
Concepcion said he will ask Seafront Shipyard to also construct two lagoons that in case of seepage, the coal leakage passes the lagoons first before going to the sea.
“This is to prevent further negative environmental and health impact for the local residents,” the mayor said.
Carlo Ignacio, VP for operations of the shipyard, said they will hire experts to build structures as asked by Concepcion:
“The safety of the people is our main concern so we will do what will be best for them.”
The staff in the shipyard said they also have regular medical missions for residents of Lucanin and nearby localities.
GN Power that operates a 600-MGW coal-fi red power plant in Barangay Alas-Asin has its own supply of coal.
Coal from the Seafront Shipyard are delivered to coal-fired power plants reportedly in other parts of Bataan and in Bulacan.
“Coal from the shipyard is supplied to power plants and stopping the delivery may cause brownout but if it is hazardous to the people, we have to stop it until proper safety measures are instituted,” Concepcion said.
Some 100 placard-bearing rallyists asked the mayor to stop the delivery and stockpiling of coal in the shipyard.
“We have cough and my grandchild suffers from asthma,” complained one of the rallyists.
She said that coal dust particles darkened and dirtied their houses when coal is unloaded from ships, from stockpiles and loading in trucks for delivery to power plants.
Ernesto Hatol, 68, claimed their fish catch dropped. “Ang katas ng coal tumatagas sa dagat kaya humina ang huli naming isda.”
Pieces of coal apparently pushed by the waves were seen along the shore in the village.
Anita Bacli, 41, said she knows of residents who have already left for other villages.
“The owner of the house we are renting transferred to another village because their children suffer from coughs and fever. Even my two-year old son has asthma,” she said.
