Bulusan Municipal Hall photo: islandgirltraveller.com/the-quiet-town-of-bulusan-sorsogon
Photo by Alma P. Gamil
“In 2011, the local government of Bulusan passed a resolution to strengthen its opposition on the geothermal energy exploration project pushed by the Department of Energy (DOE). DOE saw the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park (BVNP) as a viable source of some 40 megawatts of geothermal power after a five-year exploration and construction activities. The local government of Bulusan was quick to oppose this activity by passing a resolution against geothermal energy exploration in the municipality. The plan calls for a pre-development and development stage which would necessitate drilling of exploratory wells deep to the earth‟s core, clearing of the forest, and construction of geothermal plants, power turbines, and toxic waste tailing ponds. ” ( http://www.academia.edu paper by Cris Sarmiento, 2012)
A clarification though, the area in question is not the BVNP area but its immediately adjacent surroundings. The area to be explored from what I’ve heard at the IEC given by the Geothermal company year 2011, is actually 25,959 hectares, an area approximately six times larger than BVNP. The BVNP is a protected area comprising only of 3,673.29 hectares.
As already being cited in many papers, the SB resolution Number 55-2011 passed November 14, 2011 by LGU Bulusan is now a landmark municipal resolution on environment in the Philippines from a Local Government Unit voicing its opposition for Geothermal power development inappropriately sited in an ecologically rich area-such as Mount Bulusan.
The main focus of Bulusan’s present administration is ecotourism with flagship programs highlighting the town’s natural beauty including the countless mountain springs dotting the area of concern. Bulusan Lake, a major tourism destination of the province is located inside the natural park.
Related post: http://bulusanvirtualtour.blogspot.com/2013/06/kagawad-eddie-g-frando-green-councilor.html
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines
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