FOUR members of the opposition in the House of Representatives won’t back the proposal calling for the decommissioning of the San Roque Dam in San Manuel town.

The proposal was made by Pangasinan mayors led by Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. in the immediate aftermath of the major flooding of 34 towns and three cities in Pangasinan from October 8 to 14.

Dismissing the proposal as an emotional and knee-jerk reaction, Rep. Teofisto Guingona III said the San Roque Dam is a vital hydroelectric facility to the country.

“We must also see the benefits that it (San Roque Dam) can give to the people, like power, water supply and irrigation,” said Guingona, one of the four congressmen from the opposition camp who were in last Thursday’s “Engkwentro sa Lenox”, a weekly forum sponsored by the Pangasinan Press & Radio Club.

The other three are Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon, Rep. Rizza Hontiveros of Akbayan Partylist, and Rep. Eric Acosta.

These opposition solons, however, reiterated their objection to the proposed re-commissioning of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, citing the dangers it poses to the people and the environment.

The San Roque Dam, they say, is a different matter.

Guingona pointed out that closing the dam would mean a significant reduction in power supply for the Luzon Grid, which, in turn, will lead to much higher cost of electricity.

“Instead of closing it, let us study on the most effective mitigation measures so that the flooding that happened will not happen again,” Guingona said.

Biazon added that the government can do something more to address the risks posed by the dam instead of having this facility closed.

BETTER MANAGEMENT

Hontiveros echoed the same sentiment saying the San Roque Dam should not be blamed for the flood in Pangasinan, but rather the people or individuals who released the big volume of water downstream.

She said closing the dam would be costly for the nation in the long run.

Instead, she proposed that dam management procedures be improved to prevent another flood.

Meanwhile, Acosta said the benefits that could be derived from the San Roque Dam, which is among the three big projects built during the Ramos administration, must be balanced, given the threat posed by today’s climate change.

He said there are necessary mitigating measures that should be put in place using science and research so that the dam can be made safer.

The four lawmakers also downplayed fears that the San Roque Dam may collapse as it is located near an earthquake fault line.—LM

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