NPA stops destructive hydroelectric powerplant in Oriental Mindoro
Red fighters under Lucio de Guzman Command – New People’s Army-Mindoro successfully launched a punitive action against the Sta. Clara Power Corporation (SCPC) in Brgy. Malvar, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, Feb. 25, sending a clear message to all destructive mining and energy corporations: the NPA does not allow plunder and environmental destruction in the island of Mindoro.
LdGC-NPA Mindoro entered the SCPC premises around 3:00 PM. Aiming to halt the operation of the hydroelectric power project, the red fighters torched the batching plant and burned 44 pieces of heavy equipment vital to the operation of the area, including a backhoe, five bigfoot trucks, two payloader trucks, a crusher and a cement mixer.
They also confiscated one 9mm pistol, one factory made shotgun, eight icom radio and three laptop computers.
The punitive action was conducted without any gunshot. SCPC workers were peacefully gathered and educated on the motive of the NPA offensive. No one was hurt during the whole NPA operation.
The offensive is the NPA’s concrete response to the Mindoreños’ cry for justice over the unparalleled damages caused by SCPC’s multimillion-peso hydroelectric power project in Naujan and Baco, Oriental Mindoro.
The negative impacts of the SCPC power project on the people and environment were most apparent when Typhoon Nona hit the province in 2015.
SCPC, which undertook continuous underground blasting and logging in the province, is culpable for the massive mudfloods during and after Typhoon Nona that affected more than 3/4 of Oriental Mindoro’s population. The mudfloods claimed more than 10 lives, and destroyed P1.5 billion-worth of infrastructure and P2.9 billion-worth of agricultural properties.
On February 27, 2017, more than 6,000 Mindoreños flooded the streets of Calapan City to demand justice for the tragic flooding caused by SCPC, but their protest fell on the deaf ears of the reactionary government. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region-4B even protected SCPC, claiming that the torrential rains brought by Typhoon Nona are the sole cause of the floods.
Until now, farmer-victims who lost their fruit farms are left adrift and bereft of hope for any amends or amelioration. The reactionary government, from the local to the national level, has done nothing to address the plight of SCPC’s victims.
The pro-people and pro-environment posture of Duterte and his clique is a big lie and is betrayed by their continued coddling of big foreign destructive mining, agro-business and energy corporations. While the NPA commits revolutionary punitive actions against destructive miners and other companies, Duterte’s government showers these criminals with favors and tax incentives.
Unlike the reactionary government, the revolutionary government through the NPA is committed to carry over concrete actions to make corporate criminals like SCPC accountable for their crimes.
Today’s action by the NPA against SCPC expresses the revolutionary movement’s firm stance against foreign, large-scale and destructive mining and energy projects. We reiterate that the revolutionary movement is not against all renewable energy projects, only those that violate human rights, endanger the people’s livelihood, and wreak havoc on the environment like the SCPC hydro project.
The punitive action against SCPC was carried out one month before the 50th founding anniversary of the NPA on March 29 and amid the Duterte government’s fake news regarding the decimation of NPA forces in the island of Mindoro.
This election season, Mindoreños and all who care for the environment and the people’s welfare are called upon to unite behind a genuinely patriotic program of action as articulated in the National Democratic Front document on the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER).
Candidates with a record in allowing foreign plunder via environmentally-destructive projects should be exposed and prevented from holding office.
In the end, no reactionary election can shed the slightest ray of hope for Mindoreños and the oppressed Filipinos. Only the national democratic revolution that seeks to overthrow the old rotten system and establish a new social order founded on social justice and genuine democracy can pave the way for a brighter tomorrow for the Filipino people.
Sagot sa Kahirapan: Rebolusyon, Hindi Eleksyon!
Red salute to all the fighters and commanders of the New People’s Army on the occasion of its 50th founding anniversary!
Join the New People’s Army!
Reference:
Ka Madaay Gasic
Spokesperson
Lucio De Guzman Command
New People’s Army-Mindoro
[email protected]
Public Relations: 09653856739
Source: https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/npa-stops-destructive-hydroelectric-powerplant-in-oriental-mindoro/
