Lawmaker invokes Pope’s name in BNPP issue

MANILA, Philippines – Don’t be afraid of nuclear energy. Even the Pope favors its use.

Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco conveyed this message recently to those opposing the rehabilitation of the $2.3-billion Bataan nuclear power plant (BNPP) as he invoked the name of Pope Benedict XVI in his advocacy for the operation of the mothballed facility.

In a statement, Cojuangco said the leader of the Catholic Church supports the development of nuclear technology for medicine as well as for power generation.

He said he learned of the Pope’s stand on nuclear energy from Monsignor Michael Banach during the recent three-day conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Beijing, China.

Cojuangco and Banach, the Vatican’s permanent IAEA representative, attended the Beijing conference.

The lawmaker-son of billionaire businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. said he sought out the Pope’s IAEA representative so he could verify the Pope’s stand on nuclear technology in view of the opposition of the Diocese of Balanga to BNPP’s rehabilitation.

“The personal meeting with the monsignor is especially important to me as a God-fearing individual and as a lawmaker, because our country is predominantly Catholic,” he said.

“I am elated and relieved that I, as a Catholic, am not violating any mandate of my church after all, and that, as I have always believed, Pope Benedict XVI is a well-informed, open-minded leader who is hugely concerned about the welfare and well-being of the people, especially the poor,” he said.

Cojuangco also revealed that he learned “significant pieces of information and insight” from the IAEA conference that he can use in pushing for the Bataan plant’s rehabilitation and operation.

“I bring home a lot of information on new trends and actual practice in world policies regarding nuclear fuel and waste management,” he said.

“Most specifically, the reprocessing of spent fuel many times over, instead of single use. And the concept of fuel banking and fuel leasing, which will be the framework for future international cooperation in assuring a stable nuclear fuel supply and safe disposition of spent fuel for all users of nuclear energy,” he said.

“What it means for us is that BNPP will be assured of a fuel supply for its entire commercial life at a stable cost. Countries do not have to worry about fuel supply (processed uranium) because we will be able to lease fuel from producer countries,” he added.

He stressed that the Beijing conference confirmed that nuclear power generation “is the most practical, cost effective, no carbon, power generating technology for the short and medium term and in the foreseeable future.”

Cojuangco is advocating the operation of the Bataan plant because he said the country would face an acute power shortage in three to five years.

The House appropriations committee has approved the expenditure of P100 million for a new study to determine whether the plant is safe and economically viable to operate.

Previous studies have concluded that the facility is located on an earthquake fault. –Jess Diaz, Philippine Star