The Electricity They Stole from Albayanos APEC has persistently complained of illegal connections. AMSSO has repeatedly declared that we denounce illegal connections. We have also declared our indignation over a fact consciously ignored by authorities on energy: Albay is a source of geothermal energy and yet our people do not feel any benefit accruing to us from such patrimony. As energy authorities and power companies rile about illegal connections, they should also denounce a grand theft committed against Albay. Geothermal energy has been stolen from the province and those concerned are eerily quiet about it. What can be more hypocritical than that? We recall how Magellan raved against thieves when his crew was victimized in a certain group of islands. He even had the gall to name them Islas de los Ladrones. Those are the islands around and including Guam, the Marianas Islands. In some maps, they are labeled Ladrones Islands. The ignorant think that these islands are part of the Philippines. The fact is that they are part of the United States, Guam having been a prominent US territory after its victory in the Spanish-American War. Before that, though, the Marianas were under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Cebu (1565 to 1898). (Should the Philippines not reclaim those islands from the US? Well, if the thievery thing would come along with repossession, then we might have to think hard.) There is a second point: The real thieves were the colonizers. They stole the whole Philippines. To this very day we have not regained our sovereignty. The Spaniards enslaved us for 333 years; the Japanese brutalized us for 3. The Americans have not respected our national dignity. Proofs are the Nicole rape and Jerry/Jennifer Laude murder cases. The thievery analogy holds in Albay’s plight. The Tiwi geothermal source was taken by the Americans. Today it is owned by Aboitiz Power Renewables, Inc. The Manito source was given away to the Energy Development Corporation. Now, who really stole what from whom? We argue that Albay is the real victim of a grand scale robbery. Is it possible for a host community to enjoy the bounty of its land? Yes. It is being done in Brunei and Venezuela. In Brunei there is no personal income tax. If anyone gets sick, he just enters a hospital with nothing but his clothes on and he is treated for free. All these are funded from their oil revenues. References: eria.org/publications/research_project_reports/images/pdf/y2009/no9/CH-05_Brunei_pp.124-156.pdf jicwels.or.jp/about_jicwels/ASEAN&JapanHighLevelOfficialsMeeting/7th_2009_pdf/Brunei_Country_Report.pdf) In Venezuela, the people also enjoy benefits from their oil. According to Jhony Balza Arismendi, Ambassador of Venezuela to Kenya: “From 1999, the late President Hugo Chávez established a new legal framework to safeguard the ownership of the revenues derived from the sales of Venezuelan petroleum, ensuring the proceeds provided for the social necessities of our people. This is basically what COMPLETE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE PETROLEUM SECTOR means . . . The social policies designed to help the majority of Venezuelans are being sustained partly by the profits from the oil industry.” (Reference: allafrica/stories/201409150487.html) The case of Albay is rather like that of Nigeria. The rich oil deposits are being exploited by multinational oil companies while the effects of oil extraction for the environment and the Niger Delta communities have been devastating. “Wealth generated by oil revenues has not passed down to the citizens of Nigeria, as 45% of the population still live below the poverty line. How do we make sense of this paradox?” (Reference: globalcitizen.org/Content/Content.aspx?id=2e0d195b-5b4b-41d2-9c3a-bac3d7957be7) As a result, there is a raging war in the area. The pollution and destruction of forests is borne by the residents while billions of dollars are reaped by foreigners and their local junior partners. So, before anyone accuses any Albayano of illegal connection, he should take up the theft of Albay’s geothermal energy. He should heed the admonition of Jesus Christ: remove first the log in his before pointing out the mote in another’s eye. But some are Christian just in their mouths. They are devils deep in their hearts, minds and souls. October 20, 2014
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 05:53:27 +0000
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