Marcos yet to support BNPP revival, says Rep. Cojuangco

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has yet to throw his support behind the proposed revival of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) due to opposition from local leaders, Pangasinan Representative Mark Cojuangco said Tuesday.

"Wala pa po (suporta galing kay Presidente Marcos) kasi merong mga local leaders sa Bataan na tumututol," Cojuangco told Super Radyo dzBB when asked if Marcos is already supportive of the BNPP reopening.

Cojuangco, who chairs the House energy committee, was referring to the $2.3-billion power plant built during the term of Marcos' father and namesake, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. The project, however, was eventually shelved due to safety concerns, and efforts to revive it never gained ground up to this day.

In the interview, Cojuangco said the Bataan local leaders' opposition to BNPP revival should not stop Marcos from throwing his support behind it. According to the lawmaker, reviving the BNPP will shore up the country's power supply. He also said the BNPP is a better source of energy than solar and wind, which he said are seasonal.

"Hindi naman Bataan ang may-ari ng plantang 'yan. Ang may-ari ng plantang 'yan tayong lahat na Pilipino. That is my justification. Kaya dapat tayong lahat makialam diyan," Cojuangco said.

(Bataan does not own that power plant. All Filipinos own that plant. That's why we should all have a stake in that).

"President Marcos should have the political will, for the benefit of the whole country, na paandarin 'yan (BNPP). Otherwise, we can do it in my district, in Labrador. We are ready," he added.

(President Marcos should have the political will to make it run again.)

Cojuangco, who recently visited the BNPP for inspection, said that the facility is good as new since it was never used.

"Wala naman kahit isang major na nangangalawang roon sa planta. Ang nangangalawang roon ay minor 'yun, siyempre papalitan 'yun," Cojuangco said.

(No major part is rusty. All the rusty parts are minor parts. Of course those would be replaced.)

"Even the [nuclear] reactors, you gauge its capacity by checking if the steel is already brittle. Since it has yet to encounter ever since, it is as if it is brand new," he added. —KBK, GMA Integrated News