MANILA, Philippines (PNA) – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has expressed fears that the earthquake and tsunami that heavily damaged Japan will also affect the economic development of the Philippines, one of the recipients of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). ”Japan’s economy will slow down though it is not permanent because they have to concentrate their money to rehabilitation. The ODA will be affected because they will use the money for the reconstruction,” Enrile said in DZBB radio interview Sunday morning.
Enrile said the export industry as well as the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will also be affected by the killer tsunami triggered by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan last Friday.
”Their economy will slow down, so our exports to Japan will be affected and our OFWs will be facing problems and because of their damaged plants, I’m sure they will be needing more crude oil and this will contribute to high prices of petroleum,” Enrile explained.
The veteran lawmaker encouraged the government to prepare contingency measures to minimize the effect of the tsunami that rocked Japan.
”We have to study very carefully what has happened in Japan,” Enrile said, specifically citing the possible radiation from the damaged nuclear power plant of Japan.
Enrile noted that the explosion of Japan's nuclear power plant will be used as argument against a move to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant constructed during the time of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos.
”It will be used as argument against reviving the Bataan nuclear power plant but my advice is not to totally close our mind on having our own nuclear power plant,” Enrile said.
Senator Loren Legarda also believed that the earthquake-affected Japan nuclear power plant is the best argument not to push for the revival of the BNPP.
”That’s one of the major arguments. Think that 20 times before reviving the BNPP,” Legarda, an environment advocate, said.
