Senatorial candidate and human rights defender Chel Diokno on Monday, March 7, thumbed down the Duterte administration's planned use of nuclear energy to boost the country's thinning energy resources.
The human rights lawyer instead pushed for renewable energy as a safer solution to the country's energy woes.
"Renewable energy tayo, di sa delikadong energy (We are for renewable energy, not for dangerous energy)," Diokno said.
This was in reaction to President Duterte's Executive Order (EO) 164, which will pave the way for the use of nuclear energy as an alternative source of power. It also fueled fears that the decommissioned Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) will be revived.
With the country situated in the earthquake and typhoon belts, Diokno said nuclear energy is not an option as it could put Filipinos in peril.
"Look what happened to Japan. We cannot allow a disaster of such magnitude to happen here," Diokno said, referring to the Fukushima nuclear reactor incident in 2011.
The BNPP, which was started in the 1970s during the Marcos dictatorship to address energy concerns then, was shelved because of safety and corruption concerns.
Diokno said that the country should look into renewable sources of energy since it is "the safer, cleaner and more affordable for Filipinos."
He echoed Vice President Leni Robredo's position that while she is open to discussing possibly using nuclear energy if she wins in May 2022, it will not be a priority of her administration since her focus would be to lead a carbon-neutral Philippines by 2050.
READ: Robredo' open' to talks on nuclear energy; 'least of our priorities'
If he wins a Senate seat, Diokno has committed to establishing access to free legal assistance in every barrio, like the Free Legal Helpdesk that he put up in his Facebook page, to provide ordinary citizens with immediate legal help.
The veteran lawyer said he would also strengthen the country's barangay justice system by beefing up the capability of the Lupong Tagapamayapa in dealing with legal issues among residents.
Improving the country's barangay justice system will also help unclog the court dockets as cases can already be resolved at the barangay level, Diokno stressed.