RCAPP Primer

Here's the (old) RCAPP Primer sent by Eden Goling. Please read and write your comments. It sounds like a good idea.

Question: What is RCAPP?
Answer: RCAPP is Ranao Claims Against the Power Plant, It is an Environmental organization created and organized in accordance with Philippine laws on September 1, 2002. The Philippine government recognized RCAPP as a separate entity with juridical personality as a non-stock corporation incorporated under security and Exchanges Commission (SEC) registration NOS. CN200525424 dated January 17, 2005.

Question: What is the Purpose and vision of RCAPP?
Answer: The main purpose of RCAPP is to secure a better environment of Lake Lanao for the next generation, bring down power rates and fight for a separite Mindanao grid for Agus hydro elictric power plants complex Specially RCAPP mission is to
1.) Save lake lanao from the brink of serious ecological and environmental disaster
2.) Demands environmental justice and prosecute cases against the National Power Corporation (NPC) and allied partners for nonecompliance of the environmental Complience Certificate (ECC), the implemention of environmental laws and
3.) Payments of comprehensive damages to inundated areas and uprooted residents
4.) Maximum the usage of Lake Lanao enormous wealth ( others than electricity ) for the ultimate benefits of the mindanaos

Question: What ae the others objectives of RCAPP for the Bangsamoro people and Indegeneous Cultural Minorities?
Answer: RCApp support a federal System of Government wherein the Bangsamoro and Indegeneous people shall have a separite state government subjects to federal laws. Under a federal system of government, the people of Mindanao can utilize, explore and benefited from the revenues generated by natural wealth and resources located in their homeland and shall be governed by their own state laws.

Question: What are strategic minerals and or natural resources that are suppose to enjoyed, explores and exloited by the Bangsamoro people?
Answer: The Agus hydroelectric power plants feed by the water resources of lake lanao in marawi city and lanao del sur; the oil resources of the liguasan marsh in maguindanao and cotabato provinces; the rich fish and marine resources of the moro gulf including the iranun bay fronting the moro provinces and sibatu passage in Tawi tawi island. Others natural resources like gold, limestone, marble, iron, glass, copper and coal located in the Moro home lands.

Question: What are the strategic importances of any of the above described of any of the above described resources for the economy of Mindanao?
Answer: The Agus hydroelectric power plants (AHEPP) with an installed capacity of 724.24Mw to 920Mw supplies 80% of the power requerments of the power requerments of the island of Mindanao. The npower Plants has estimated power revenues of P5 Billions/month. (99% of said power revenues is remitted of the imperial government in Manila which is 1,000 miles from lake Lanao) The Liguasan Marsh has proven deposits worth billions barrel of oil and metric tons of natural gas while the Moro Gulf is a fish refugees and described as the richest marine and fishing ground in the Pacific Ocean. (Now exploited by big time forign fishing Vessels) Whereas the sibatu passages can generate hundred millions os dollars passages fees from international and foreign vessels passing / utilizing said strait.

Question: What are the destructive effects and damages to the environment of Lake Lanao and to the maranaos peoples of the lake as a result of the operation and activities of the national power corporation?
Answer: The NPC’s irregular opening and closures of the Three-(3) regulation dams in the Agus River/ agus 1 tunnel have brought abnormal fluctuation of water levels resulting to flooding/or drying of farmland, thus over 40,000 Hectares of agriculture lands in the Basak and Baloi plains were either idle or abandoned. Thousands of fisherman loss livelihoods due to scarce catch in the lake. The NPC cloud shedding activities to create artificaial rain rains during dry season (with salts and chemicals) have sicked 42,000 maranaos resulting to 402 deaths in last four years. Muslim women engaged in mat weaving from “sised” raw materials lost their livelihood.

Question: What are foreign government policy and programs for the indegineos cultural minorities living in their country on the exploitation of thir resources?
Answer: The Canadian natives (Quebec) of the james Bay Hydroelectric power plants got court awards worth U$238 millions in damages; preferential employmant and land titles grants to inundated areas; The Acehesh of the Indisia were offered 75% in return of oil revenues extracted from thir home province as part of a comprehensive solution to the GAAM rebellion (free aceh Movement); The Maori legislation grants the maori tribe (New Zealand) various socio-economic benefits after the construction of the hydroelectric power plants in their ancestral lands. While the Ennui Indians were empower to impose taxes/fees against Consumers Corporation utilizing their hydroelectric power plants.

Question; what will happen to Lake Lanao if NPC continue to abuse the use of the lake waters?
Answer: Lake Lanao will desapper in the next 26 years. A report of the Lake Lanao Watersheed Protection and Development Council (LLWPDC-DENR) shows that from 1948-1999 the water inflows to the lake droppedfrom 117 CMS to 78 CMS and projected to further dropped by 55 CMS by the year 2030 by that year the water of lake lanao can no longer the capacity to drive the turbines of the various hydroelectric power plants.

Question: What is the evedince of NPC abuse and arrogance in the used of lake lanao waters?
Answer: NPC was fined P150, 000.00 by EMB-DENR in its order of September 8, 2004 for its failure to comply with (3) of the terms and conditions of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) dated January 14, 1992 by the DENR Secretary. These are NPC failures to build irrigation projects in Basak areas and around Lake Lanao, The failure to organize the Environment Guaranty Fund (EGF) to pay damages to affected residents and the failure to monitor waterborne diseases in the water lakes.

Question: What is the organization structure of RCAPP, who are people behind it?
Answer: RCAPP is managed by chairman, Co-CoChairman, Secretary General and 7 Vice Chairman and Legal Panel that handles its three Cases against the National Power Corporation, TRANSCO and LASURICO. Its members comprises multi cross section of the society, Including the Ulama’s, professionals, farmers, of inundated areas, jobless fisher folk, Muslims women and indegeous communities and other marginalize sectors mostly victims of the hydroelectric power plants.

Question: What are the modest accomplishments of RCAPP?
Answer: In the last over two years since its inception on September 1, 2002, RCAPP has done the following

REDUCED power rates from P3.378/kwh to P2.061/kwh as a result of court Mandatory Injuction secured by RCAPP lawyers in civil case No. 1918-03 (Ibrahim Abdo et als Versus NPC TRANSCO and LASURICO The said injuction directed respondents NPC/TRANSCO and LASURICO to cased to ceased and desist from collecting the purchase power adjustment (PPA) from electric consumers

SECURED - Court Order dated November 9, 2004 ordering NPC/TRANSCO and LASURICO to refund the sum of P640 Million pesos represinting illegal and unauthorized collections of purchase power adjustments (PPA) and other over charges in favor of the electric Consumers;

FREEZE- NPC/LASURICOS application to increase/or adjust electric charges of P1.3388/kwh as a results of RCAPP’s filling of Opposition in ERC case No. 221-2002 (In re: Application of unbundling of rates) before the Energy Regulatory Commission, ERC-MANILA)

SUCCESSFULLY prosecute NPC at the Environmental Management Bureah (EMB-DENR Manila) and secured order dated September 8, 2004 in EIA case Nos. 2004-001 (In the matter of NPC violations of Pres. Decree No. 1586 and its Implementing rules) ordering NPC to build and Contruct irrigation infructures in the Basak area and around lake lanao, organized the environmental Guaranty Fund and provide compensation to farmers in inundated areas and Monitor water borned diseases in the lake waters.

LOBBY- for the approval of senate Resolution No. 79 dated September 3, 2004 directing the two Senate committees of Environment and Natural Resources and the committee on energy to investigate and conduct Senate inquiry in aid of legislation the alleged loss of livelihood and environmental concern of lake lanao as a results of the operation and activities of the hydroelictric power plants.

LUNCH- an awareness compaign on the essues of environmental justice in press releases/. Forum seminars and peacefull protest rallies during caravans for peace (March 30, 2004), Peaceful protest (September 1, 2004) and 2nd peaceful Rally (November 25, 2004)

NATIONALIZES/ and or INTERNATIONALIZES our environment struggle before the world for a including RCAPP’s participation in the 10th World Environmental Conference (Boston City, USA june 29-July 4, 2004), the 10th World Summit on the Living Lakes (Manila) and the 9th Cairo Conference on Energy/Environment (Sharm Al Shiek, Egypt) and the filling of the crime of genocide against officials of the NPC and TRANSCO before the International Criminal Tribunal in Hague, Nietherlands.