The camp of aspiring president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has welcomed President Duterte's signing of Executive Order (EO) No.164 to allow the use of nuclear power as an alternative source of energy for the country.
In commending the President's move, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos Jr.'s spokesman, also cited the potential of the idle Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) as a source of power.
He said BNPP was "about to go online back in 1986 but was mothballed due to the prevailing sentiments at that time instead of a science backed consideration".
This time, he said, it is already the view of Marcos Jr. that "with 79 percent of our countrymen who have expressed approval or acceptability on the possible use or rehabilitation of the BNPP, decisions to be made from hereon must be based on practicality".
He also said that its revival must "follow the science and not make it an emotional or political issue".
On Thursday, it was reported that President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Feb. 28 EO 164 that would give the government a green light to tap nuclear power as an alternative energy source, or at the very least study the matter.
The order stated the country's position for a nuclear energy program, which considers the economic, political, social, and environmental objectives.
The order also stated that the country must ensure that it has a reliable, secure, sustainable, quality, and affordable electricity supply, including sufficient reserve to guarantee that there will be no disruptions in the power supply, to achieve its growth targets.
The BNPP was a pet project of Marcos Jr.'s father, the late strongman president Ferdinand Marcos.