DOE gets proposals for BNPP feasibility studies

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has received proposals for the conduct of feasibility studies on the mothballedBataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

e 620-megawatt (MW) BNPP is the country’s fi rst and only attempt at nuclear power development. It was supposed to be the fi rst of two nuclear plants to be built in the northern province of Bataan.

It was also the fi rst nuclear power plant in Southeast Asia, and was identified as a solution to the 1973 oil crisis that had adversely affect- ed the global economy, including the Philippines. e project, however, was mothballed in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

According to DOE Energy Policy and Planning Bureau Director Michael Sinocruz, the government has not yet dismissed the possibility of reviving the nuclear plant. e Duterte administration earlier issued Executive Order (EO) No. 164 entitled, “Adopting a National Position for a Nuclear Energy Program, and for other Purposes.” e EO states that nuclear power shall be tapped as a viable alternative to baseload power source along with alternative resources, to address the projected decline of coal-fi red power plants, which come under increasing environmental opposition. e DOE has already banned new coal power projects in the country. e DOE has since been pushing to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) in island provinces with limited grid access. Given their size and relative transportability ability to provide non-intermittent power supply with low carbon and predictable supply cost, SMRs could go a long way in developing island provinces. e DOE earlier said provinces such as Palawan, Cagayan and Sulu have expressed their openness to the development of SMR utilizing nuclear technology in their areas.

“We are not yet abandoning the possible rehabilitation of the BNPP, but we need to do a feasibility study whether we can rehab the BNPP at a reasonable cost, whether rehabilitation of BNPP is cost effective to us.

“We need to commission. So, there are several proposals that we received for the conduct of the feasibility study for the BNPP,” said Sinocruz at the Policy and Advocacy Committee meeting of the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Earlier, state-owned power generation fi rm Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) had undertaken the fi rst prefeasibility study on the rehabilitation of BNPP in partnership with the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

During the meeting, the agency said it was studying the possibility of incorporating 8 x 150megawatts (MW) of SMRs by 2032 and 1,200MW of nuclear generation capacity in Luzon by 2035 in the energy mix under the “High RE + Nuclear” scenario.

“We will have a fi rm capacity to be included in the mix in the succeeding Philippine energy plan once we have a law establishing an independent atomic energy regulatory commission, which is still pending in the Congress now,” said Sinocruz.

PEZA SEES BAN ON NCR ECOZONES LIFTED WITHIN ’23

moratorium is lifted, this would still be consistent with the goal of the administration to develop the countryside.

“ at’s being consistent because [for] the IT locators—especially they are new entrants—the preferred location is actually Metro Manila. So that’s where they will set up their initial operations, and then later on they move to provinces for expansion projects,” the Peza chief explained.

According to Panga, Peza is waiting for the proclamation by for the airport rehabilitation, a long-term plan for which they put a price tag of P267 billion. e Neda Board-approved plan will cover all facilities of NAIA including its runways and four terminals.

“ e goal of the project is to address long-standing issues at NAIA such as the inadequate capacity of passenger terminal buildings and restricted aircraft movement,” Balisacan said.

Once completed, the project is expected to almost double the passenger capacity of NAIA from 35 million to at least 62 million. e other projects approved by the NEDA Board were the P7.48billion Samar Pacific Coastal Road II Project and the P12.75-billion unsolicited Laguindingan Airport PPP Project located in Misamis Oriental.

Tourism boost BALISACAN said the current administration is prioritizing the rehabilitation of the country’s existing airports to boost the country’s tourist arrivals.

“We are in a hurry to improve the—to address the issues there in the terminal because as you have noted, tourism is one of the main drivers of the Philippine economy in the coming years and want to ensure that tourists come here and have a good experience,” Balisacan explained.

During its meeting, Balisacan said the NEDA Board also approved changes to the scope, cost, design and/or loan validity of four ongoing projects, particularly in disaster risk reduction and climate change, irrigation and transportation. It also confi rmed the proposed adoption of a national policy on infrastructure sector master plans.

“ e policy aims to harmonize and rationalize the formulation of master plans for the infrastructure sector across the government,” Balisacan said.

“ is is to ensure that the master plans are coordinated, synergistic, responsive to emerging issues and consistent with the sector’s priority development challenges or strategies,” he added.

Miac plan unknown—for now WITHOUT providing any concrete plans with the approval of the proposal as of writing time, Miac said the consortium received notifi cation of the approval of the project.

It indicated, however, that it stands by the more comprehensive offer (for P267 billion) that it submitted last month.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of an IT center located in Metro Manila. is, he said, “will now trigger, pave the way for the others to be proclaimed as well...IT Centers in Manila.” e moratorium has been in place within the region since 2019. e CREATE law became effective in 2021.

Panga also explained that the CREATE law “supersedes” the AO, saying that there is a provision in the CREATE identifying Metro Manila as part of Tier I and ICTeligible activities for Metro Manila locations.

Deadline set for idle land inventory for 4PH

titles and the corresponding certi ed true copies thereof that are registered in the name of said agencies,” Marcos said.

EO 34 also mandated DHSUD to recommend to the President, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the issuance of proclamations declaring public lands as alienable and disposable, for housing and human settlement purposes.

DHSUD and its Key Shelter Agencies were also given the power to expropriate lands when necessary subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations.

In November, the Presidential Communications O ce (PCO) announced Marcos will come out with a new EO for the inventory of the estimated 16,000 hectares of “idle state lands suitable for housing and rural development.”

Through EO 34, Marcos also declared the 4PH of DHSUD as a agship program of his administration.

Under the program, the government is targeting to construct 6.8 million new housing units by 2028. Samuel P. Medenilla

“Regardless of the route, we fi rmly believe that Naia’s modernization requires a long-term and comprehensive solution delivered by a credible and capable party at the quickest possible time. ese criteria—regardless of the approach—would best benefit Naia and the Filipino people,” Miac said in a statement. e BM sought for a more categorical answer from the consortium members on their plans, but they have yet to reply to the paper’s queries as of press time.

Meanwhile, Infrawatch said the approval of the Naia rehab proposal is “an acceptable middle ground between Miac’s unsolicited proposal and the original DOTr proposal amount of P141 billion.”

“ is balances the government interest to expedite the rehabilitation of the country’s fl agship airport through private sector capital and the public interest to ensure reasonable airport fees during the concession period,” Infrawatch Convener Terry Ridon said.

He noted that the approved cost has a “very significant cost difference” from the P267-billion price tag that Miac offered in June.

“Miac may opt to participate in the solicited bid, if it continues to believe that it can provide the project’s best vision, service and pricing at Neda’s approved project cost,” he said.

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday assured that necessary funding and resources are allocated under the annual General Appropriations Act to support “legacy specialty hospitals,” such as the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Philippine Children Medical Center (PCMC), and West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSU), as well as the establishment of new “legacy project” the proposed Philippine Cancer Center.

H ouse Committee on Appropriations Chairman and Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co said the lower chamber is determined to contribute to these specialty hospitals and realization of this new legacy project, which aims to revolutionize the health-care system in the Philippines.

“

The legacy projects initiated by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. have remained stagnant for far too long, with minimal development over the years,” said Co.

“At present, those who lack financial resources are denied equal opportunities to receive quality health care, as only the privileged can afford to seek treatment at private health institutions,” he said.

T hrough the efforts of the House of Representatives, Co said substantial budget allocations have been appropriated to facilitate the much-needed improvements for the existing legacy projects.

To achieve this goal, under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Co said an initial appropriation of P500 million for each specialty hospital has been secured through the collaborative efforts of Congress.

T hese funds will be dedicated to the development of legacy specialty hospitals, such as NKTI, PCMC, and WVSU, as well as the establishment of the new legacy project initiated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Philippine Cancer Center.

“President Marcos Jr. envisions emulating the approach taken by President Marcos Sr. in Metro Manila and replicating it across the entire Philippines, ensuring that government hospitals in every region provide equal access to medical care. Regardless of one’s economic status, every Filipino will witness their taxes working for their well-being,” said Co.

“It is our dut y to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their location, have access to the same level of health care as their counterparts in private institutions. This will help bridge the health-care gap and provide equal opportunities for all,” he added.

The lawmaker said the lower chamber would continue to work to ensure that the necessary funding and resources are secured to support Marcos’ vision of providing equitable access to high-quality medical services for every Filipino.

‘Breastie bestie’

MEANWHILE , staunch women’s health advocate Rep. Aniela Bianca D. Tolentino of Tagaytay City is calling for a broader information dissemination campaign on breast cancer prevention as deaths from the dreaded disease among women continue to soar in the country.

The youngest female member of the House of Representatives, Tolentino aired the appeal during the recent launch of the “Breastie Bestie” health caravan, a principal component of a breast cancer awareness program.

Aniela said that the Breastie Bestie program seeks to ensure public awareness about breast cancer where family members are also enjoined to learn more about the disease for better prevention effort.

“B ased on medical resources, the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer is key to saving the lives of women from this disease. Through the Breastie Bestie program, we want our Filipino women to be aware that while advances in medical science have made treatment readily available, early discovery of breast cancer remains the key prescription to saving more lives,” said Tolentino, vice chairperson of the House Committee on Science and Technology.

Breast cancer ranks second among the leading causes of cancer deaths among female Filipinos, current statistics reveal.

The Philippine Statistics Office and the Department of Health revealed that three in every 100 Filipinas would develop breast cancer during their lifetime.

Aniela lamented that early detection of breast cancer is stymied by the fear among many women about the huge expenses, pain and other medical procedures they have to endure once they are diagnosed positive for the disease.

She stressed that through the Breastie Bestie program, women will be taught to fight off such fear and embrace the fact that early detection will save their lives.

With the help of the Asian Breast Center, the Breastie Bestie program provides free breast cancer screening through the use of modern diagnostics technology. State-of-theart machines that ensure touch-free, pain-free and radiation free detection were also made available to the initial batch of examinees from the 8th District of Cavite.

Pope appoints Pinoy priest to Vatican post

By Patrick V. Miguel

POPE Francis appointed Msgr. Jose Balagapo of the Archdiocese of Palo as one of the two new officials of the Dicastery for Evangelization, the Vatican’s missionary arm announced on Tuesday.

Msgr. Balagapo will serve as the head of the Department of the Dicastery of Evangelization, alongside Korean Msgr. Han Hyun-taek.

Both priests will serve their posts for five years, but were already working in the dicastery prior to promotion.

Msgr. Balagapo has been working for the dicastery since 2015 after finishing studies in Rome.

The dicastery of Evangelization was established in 2022 by Pope Francis to