LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The provincial government of Benguet disclosed that local governments are supportive of run-of-river micro power corporations because they do not significantly destroy the environment and encourages community participation in the establishment of renewable sources of energy in the countryside.

Benguet Gov. Nestor B. Fongwan cited that run-of-river electric production will not just generate jobs in the different parts of the province but will surely result to the protection of the environment considering that power plant operators will have to enhance the forest cover of their respective areas of operation to guarantee abundant water supply for power generation.

The governor’s pronouncement is in accordance to the mandate of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) to download the Philippine Energy Plan that previously identified the Cordillera as a potential source of renewable energy.

However, Fongwan pointed out that local governments and host communities where such capital investments in power generation are being proposed should be given optimum support and encouragement so that the villagers will be able to realize the benefits of hosting such kind of power plants.

According to the governor, the infusion of capital investments in host communities should be treated as a welcome development by the people since it will result in more employment opportunities, sources of livelihood and greater income to the locality, thus, investors should not be given a hard time in developing the rich resource of their places.

Compared to small-scale mining activities which are being done in some parts of the province, Fongwan claimed that run-of-river power production is better because it does not ravage the environment.

The local chief executive emphasized renewable energy will significantly develop and maintain the forest because the generators will not have the water to produce energy if they do not have the trees around their power plants.

Fongwan added that run-of-river energy is unlike mining which destroys the environment before a finished product can be produced.

Local officials are now inculcating into the minds of the people the positive and negative effects of the said kinds of investments as it is the people and the communities that will suffer the effects and benefit from such kinds of projects.

Fongwan challenged local governments to come out with clearer and better stands regarding renewable energy production as against small-scale mining and weigh the positive and negative effects before deciding on the matter.

For the past several decades, La Trinidad, which plays host to a good number of micro-hydro run-of-river power generation plants, has become economically stable which should be considered by other local governments as model so that their officials could decide for the welfare of their own towns.