“In view of these findings, it will not be possible to continue with the construction of the Bataan Nuclear Plant unless the contractor, Westinghouse, introduces fundamental changes in design and adapts additional, adequate and acceptable safeguards to ensure its safety and protect the health of the public.”

Hindi po natin alam kung completely rectified na yung defects ng BNPP nang si Marcos ay napaalis sa pwesto. Hindi po ever na-inaugurate ni Marcos ang planta kahit sinasabi ng Westinghouse na ready na ito by January 1985.

At the end of the project, matatandaan po natin na lumobo ang original price ng Westinghouse for the BNPP from USD 500 million to USD 2 billion. Sinasabi pong binayaran natin ang loan na iyan for 31 long years since construction began; nag-end lang ang payments natin in April of 2007. At sinasabi pong 10% ng ating annual loan payments from 1986 until 2007 ay napunta dito, bukod pa sa maintenance costs ng planta hanggang ngayon. Malinaw po na nakuba ang Pilipino sa kakabayad ng utang na ito. Kung si Marcos po ay nag-conclude na unsafe ito in 1979, at in 1986 ay hindi pa ito na-start para gawing operational nang siya ay umalis, ano po ang level of safety kung pinaandar ni Cory ito noong siya ay nag-take over na as President? At bakit kay Cory lahat ang sisi samantalang maraming brinaso si Marcos para matuloy ang proyektong ito sa nakakalulang halaga?

Marami pong articles sa internet tungkol sa BNPP. Pero, mukhang itong galing sa CNN International at Fortune Magazine ang pinaka-comprehensive na report on the BNPP. Kasama dito ang scientific findings ng International Atomic Energy Agency, ang kwento ng head ng Philippine Atomic Energy Commission, at ang side ng Westinghouse at General Electric na original bidder ng project. Meron ding magandang kwento yung mga opisyales ni Marcos, na mismong nag-try na mag-resist sa pag-award ng kontrata sa Westinghouse. Meron din ditong kwento tungkol sa mga komisyon, at kung paano si Marcos nagse-set aside na lang ng mga good advice. Palagay ko po, magkaka-ideya na tayo kung paano pinatakbo ni Pangulong Marcos ang Pilipinas when he had absolute power, at kung bakit hanggang ngayon, naghihirap pa rin ang bayan natin. On your own po, lalo na yung mga techie at science people, baka makaka-form na kayo ng opinion sa sitwasyon na hinarap ni Cory noong 1986.

I-highlight ko lang po ang isang portion ng article involving the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency:

“He (Librado Ibe, the head of the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission) doubted that the company had adequately considered the dangers posed by earthquakes and by Mount Natib, the dormant volcano five miles away.

“… The (IAEA) team drafted a report saying Ebasco Services had improperly addressed both the earthquake and volcanic hazards, and recommended that National Power halt construction until Ebasco performed more tests. Westinghouse reportedly had spent about $200 million on the plant by then… The main point of contention between Ebasco and the IAEA team concerned the volcano. If it erupts, the volcano could send lava pouring over the plant, engulf it in a cloud of 8,000 0 F gases, or bury it under a mountain of ash. Ebasco’s position was that Mount Natib, which has not erupted in an estimated 70,000 years, poses no serious threat. Ebasco also maintained that if the volcano does blow, the eruption would occur on the east flank of the mountain, away from the plant. It argued that a west-flank eruption facing the plant is impossible. The issue was crucial. If a west-flank eruption were considered possible, as the IAEA contended, the site could have been ruled out. In a memo to senior vice president Whitehead, a project manager named John Hazak said that the plant could not be made safe from a west-flank eruption even if National Power knew it was coming long enough to remove the nuclear fuel. ”Removal of fuel will not make the plant safe,” Hazak wrote, ”as the radioactive gases, solid waste, and plant equipment could be scattered to the wind contaminating a wide area.”