SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines – Investors gathered at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) to partake in the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s (SBMA) consultation on the construction of the coal-fired thermal power plant at the Redondo Peninsula.

According to SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, Social Acceptability Process Stakeholders’ Consultation gathering last week is part of a policy that would review all environmentally-sensitive projects (ESPs) that are to be approved inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Garcia also said that the agency wanted to ensure that projects to be put up in the zone which the SBMA board had been declared environmentally sensitive, are acceptable to stakeholders.

“This way, the stakeholders are given a sense of participation in preserving and protecting the environment of the Freeport which is a mandated function of the SBMA,” Garcia said.

Facilitated by SBMA directors, the stakeholders’ consultations drew the participation of local government officials from Olongapo City, the municipality of Subic, and Bataan province, as well as local businessmen, residents of the free port and neighboring communities, Ayta tribal leaders, and socio-civic groups.

They noted, however, that project proponent Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. (RPEI) declined the invitation to attend the consultation.

“They (RPEI officials) said that they are not going to participate because their (investment) contract was approved in June 2010 and the policy (on environmentally-sensitive projects) was approved only in 2011. So they feel that they are not bound by these proceedings,” the director stated.

This was the first time for the SBMA board to implement a social-acceptability process that was aimed at getting organized inputs from different stakeholders.

“What we want from the chartered associations are formal resolutions stating their position, and more importantly, why and what specific issues and concerns (they have) after having heard from the resource persons. In the end they will be translated to conditions (that should be met) prior to the issuance of the permit,” he said.

Citing an example, the director explained that in June 2011, the RPEI requested for a site development permit, which the SBMA Board disapproved because of some unfulfilled provisions in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between SBMA and RPEI.