Davao's Great Leap Backward

This news simply passed me by. I only knew about it recently when someone dropped this during a conversation. 

From a link:

MANILA, Philippines - Listed Aboitiz Power Corp. (APC) has obtained go signal from the Davao City government to proceed with its 300-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant.

In a statement, APC said the Davao City Council issued a resolution, endorsing the P25-billion circulating fluidized bed combustion coal-fired power project of its wholly-owned subsidiary Therma South Inc. on June 7.

Vice mayor and council presiding officer Rodrigo Duterte said the move was in line with a goal to boost power supply in the city.

"We need power for the city. We want this plant inside Davao so we will have control and jurisdiction over it," he said.


Government estimates earlier showed that unless power generation is increased in Mindanao, the region will soon face a shortage. By 2014, the shortage will be around 480 MW—enough to cut the entire power supply of the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Zamboanga and Butuan.

APC assured that its coal plant would provide long-term solution to the power problem, and that the plant would be safe to operate.

APC said Therma South will utilize clean coal technology to reduce harmful emissions to the environment.

Actually, I don't have anything else to say.  I'm sad. I'm frustrated. In this time when all the first-world countries are looking at utilizing renewable energy to address their energy issues, here we are going back to conventional sources to solve our problems.

Make no mistake. I am fully aware that the energy crisis is real. Power shortages will continue to worsen as the deficit grows bigger. But a coal plant is still a coal plant. I don't have to enumerate the disadvantages of having one near Davao City. It's enough that I say that a coal plant is not a good thing to have in this city's future.

What struck me the most about this whole episode is the shortsightedness of our leaders, the sheer lack of imagination among their ranks. True, the coal plant can address the problem immediately and conveniently. But it does so at a cost that this city cannot afford later on.

It also struck me how the opportunity offered by the moment was never seized. The energy crisis could have galvanized a concerted effort among different sectors to search for alternative sources of energy. It could have been a catalyst to jump-start a more widespread transformation of Mindanao's grid. But we have settled for the easier solution, the mediocre one: "Why not simply build a coal plant instead? Besides, is there anything else that we can do?"

Just want to add something to this post:

From this link:

Councilor Pilar Braga, chair of the City Council committee on energy, transportation, and communication, said as far as she knows, Aboitiz has all the legal right to start with the plant construction.

"Wala nakoy labot ato kay nahuman naman ang among trabaho ato (I do not have any information about it because we were done with our job)," Braga said.

I shudder at what she just said (the translation is clearly off though). Pilate, is that you washing your hands?

Rethinking The Cemetery

From an ecological standpoint, cemeteries are a waste of real estate. They are wastelands, with extremely low biodiversity rates. Modern practices of burying the dead have also not made cemeteries more environmentally friendly.

Cemeteries in the Philippines, or 'memorial parks' for those who want to speak fancy,  are oftentimes formerly lush jungles bulldozed over to make way for sprawling green lawns. The loss of foliage is, in itself, disheartening. But trees, especially in the world's tropical regions, are important also in other aspects. One would tell you that they are crucial ingredients in the fight against climate change, acting as naturally occurring carbon pits and agents promoting increased evaporation, two things that generic carabao grass cannot do very well.

The way that we bury the dead is also not friendly to nature. Even in death, we do not want to give anything back. Our dead are buried in the ground, sure, but they are enclosed in concrete tombs, prohibiting any transfer of nutrients from the carcass to the soil.

The way I envision it, cemeteries need to change. Developers of cemeteries need to take into account that their projects can make a good impact on nature if they adhere to certain practices.

First, we need to accept the phrase "ashes to ashes, dust to dust". We need to stop prolonging the inevitable and simply assist nature in its task of converting organic matter from the corpse to usable material for other living things. We have to do away with cement tombs and settle for wooden caskets instead. We also must lessen the use of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, in our embalming process in favor of more eco-friendly alternatives, which do not leach toxic chemicals into the soil.

Second, we must bring back the trees to our cemeteries. This may be seen as an inconvenience to most, especially to the workers who prepare the ground for burial (since they have to deal with the roots every now and then). But cemeteries with trees equal more shade for visitors and families. Our current idea of a memorial park with green wide lawns is an inherently Western ideal which simply does not work here where the sun shines bright. Oftentimes, visitors have to endure the blazing heat of the sun while commemorating the death of their loved ones simply because the cemetery is one big grassland. With trees, this discomfort is minimized.

Trees, other than providing relief, are also very good habitats for fauna. The cemetery with trees can now serve dual purposes: first, as a repository for the dead and second, as a haven for species who would otherwise be victims of habitat loss.

Third, the cemetery can serve as a garden, or a flower patch to be exact. Now, this is a personal fantasy of mine. 

Imagine yourself walking to a loved one's final resting place. You haven't brought any flowers with you but then again you don't have to. That's because right there on top of your loved one's tomb is a flower patch. This is part of the services of the caretaker; they grow your preference of flowers on that small patch of real estate above where your loved one is lying in peace. So you get to choose your flowers, cut it, and place it on your loved one's tombstone, after which, you say your prayers.

Now, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Shooting Range

There's a first time for everything. 

We were at a shooting range in the PNP's headquarters in Nabunturan. Papa had brought us there to experience firing a live gun. He himself had some practice awhile back when he was in college. They had actual army personnel standing in as their ROTC trainers and, every once in a while, he and his fellow cadet officers would handle some serious ammunition (he mentioned firing from .50 caliber machine guns, among other things) as part of their training.

As for me, I never held nor fired a gun. Back in my PMT days, our officers had mentioned sending us to a shooting range, a promise that never materialized. The closest thing I got to the real thing was holding my Tito Alex's gun during Tita Prining's wake and that gun was even empty (presumably, it was for display only).

I'm not fascinated with guns. But I remember I was quite attentive during the entire lecture given by the resident policeman, who was also our instructor that day.  For one, I work in a bank and if, God forbid, anyone might think of pulling a heist in our branch, at least there will be one employee, apart from the security guards, who could fire a gun as well. That, and the fact that all this was quite novel to me, made me riveted to the instructor's every word.

After the customary lecture, we each took the chance to do some shooting ( I was with Papa, Ate Bating, Rayray, Bulec, and my two cousins, Susno and Awi). My instructor had commended that I had a good stance, as if I was a veteran shooter myself, but the rounds didn't exactly hit the bull's eye. My excuse was that I was near-sighted but the truth is that my hands were pasmado; they kept shaking on their own. It was probably out of excitement because I was pumped up with adrenaline even before I felt the trigger.

I fared better in the second round. And I somehow understood why other people felt such an urge to hold and fire a gun. There's this immense sense of power in that fleeting moment, when your palms cradle the handle and the gun's sights align with your eyes. It's simply addictive.

I'm figuratively replacing the gun back on the table.

If I Were A Developer

There's another subdivision project being developed along Quimpo Boulevard. They've started the landfill about early last year and cutting down a few trees to make way. It's going to be another exclusive subdivision, which is quite ironic since along its supposed boundaries is a barangay full of squatters.

But, I digress. The question for me, this morning, is: what if I were a developer? What would be the defining characteristics of any project I would choose to develop?

So, let's dream, shall we?

If I were a developer, I want to be known, top of mind, as the greenest developer there is. It is a generally accepted fact that the construction industry is among the greatest polluters of all time and I want to change that image. How do I do that? I can start by changing the way subdivision projects are developed.

First stop, location. If I were a developer, I would choose areas which are more or less developed already. These maybe abandoned warehouse grounds, former quarry sites or garages. I would specialize in converting industrial zones into potential residential sites. Definitely, I would lower my costs in development especially if I'm good at lobbying the government to re-zone unused sites. Not only that, I don't have to deal with filling the land anymore or clearing it of vegetation or otherwise solving drainage issues along the way. 

But if I were not so lucky, I would choose sites which will put the least amount of stress on the surrounding environment, such as those near urbanized areas already. That way, I can minimize urban sprawl and habitat loss. I would also make sure that I preserve the majority of trees that are already there, even go as far as adapt my subdivision plan to not disturb their root beds. I would make trees a focal point in my project and will go to lengths to ensure that the roads and the lots do not go through them but instead showcase them as they appear.

Second stop, ceaseless adoption of green technologies. My roads will be made of permeable concrete, which will preserve water quality and reduce water runoff from precipitation. Other than that, my roads will be part of a greater infrastructure to generate clean energy. They will house underground pipes housing fluids, which will absorb the heat taken in by the roads, and, in turn, transfer the collected heat to exchangers which will, in turn again, power turbines to generate electricity.

I'll also make it a point to put in place stricter waste segregation policies and adopt more green technologies as they go, from replacing concrete pavement with greener alternatives or implanting foliage specially know for reducing air pollution and sustaining endemic species.

Third stop, market introduction of green building standards. I'll mainly be catering to high-end clients who put exclusivity and security at the top of their priorities. Why is this important? That's because they'll be more amenable to adopting building codes which, although sustainable, are also expensive. I'll be offering them the opportunity of residing in one of the country's premier subdivision estates in exchange for making their homes more environment-friendly. That means subjecting their building plans to LEED standards and, as a corollary, challenging the local community of architects and engineers to think greener.

Hopefully, this conscious program to raise awareness for green building will have a trickle-down effect, summarily encouraging other local developers to adopt the same standards.

If I were a developer, these will be the things that I will do.Unfortunately, the current developers that we have aren't gifted with the same degree of imagination.

The Ideal Girl

We were on our way home to Davao City after visiting Santa Maria for Weng's wedding. We were on board Ma'am Alav's car. I was with Jonna, Henry, Arnold, and, of course, Ma'am Alav.

Ma'am Alav asked each of us if we were admiring a girl in the office and why. It was katuwaan, a way to while away the time and, pretty soon, everyone was grinning. Then, it was my turn.

Going back, I mumbled something about liking a girl because of her work ethic. Definitely, I was lying through my teeth with that absurd answer (It only showed how uncomfortable I was with the question. Actually, a good work ethic is an admirable quality but it's not something you fall head over heels for).

What should my answer have been, really? If I were to paraphrase Ma'am Alav's question slightly, what is it that gets my attention first? What is it in a girl that will literally tug at my heart?

Unfortunately, that's something I haven't pondered about yet. Let me think about that for a second...