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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Legarda opposes inclusion of Antique as a possible nuclear power plant site

Legarda opposes inclusion of Antique as a possible nuclear power plant site

Published Oct 9, 2025 12:53 pm  |  Updated Oct 9, 2025 01:02 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Loren Legarda firmly opposed plans to include Antique as a potential nuclear power site, vowing to block the budget of any agency pursuing it and urging the DENR to drop any plan to study it entirely.
Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday, Oct. 9, rejected the idea of including Antique as a nuclear power site, emphasizing that she will oppose the budget of whichever agency proposes it.
Senator Loren Legarda (Senate PRIB photo)
Senator Loren Legarda (Senate PRIB photo)
Legarda, a staunch environmental advocate, brought it up during the subcommittee hearing deliberating the 2026 proposed budget of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and its attached agencies.
"I am not in favor of that, and I think the provincial government will not be in favor, and many, or most, if not all, of our kasimanwas will not be in favor," she said.
Legarda asked DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla, who formerly headed the Department of Energy (DOE), if it was done during his time.
Lotilla said he was not aware of the details with regard to the sites, because what the agency had was just a survey all over the country of what are the suitable sites.
"So I have had no access to the specific studies that came up with the Antique [being] one of the possible sites," he explained.
He added that there’s an inter-agency committee on the nuclear program, chaired by DOE, that has been conducting studies on siting.
One of its leading members, according to Lotilla, tasked with identifying suitable sites is the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-Phivolcs).
"So, these are sites that were, first those which were identified when we first built our nuclear power plant in Bataan. And then, in addition, they've been looking at other areas as well. So, I have not updated on the announcement that includes Antique," Lotilla said.
"But what we have identified from the DENR standpoint is that if the government, and that's through Congress, does move ahead with the nuclear power, that before such permits can be issued, there has to be an ECC that has to be issued by the DENR," he added.
Lotilla said that he will find out more from the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC) and the DOE on the details of this report and provide Legarda with the details.
Legarda, who also hails from Antique, said that the news came as a shock, adding that she never heard of it until she saw a news report.
"It came as a shock. And just put it on record, I am not in favor and I am not alone. I will block it every step of the way. Whichever government agency is studying it, do not waste your time and your resources. And I will oppose your budget," she said.
"May I kindly appeal to the DENR not to study it further, to just to take it out. It will not fly. Do not waste money for consultant studies," she added.
The Amlig Antique Alliance has earlier urged the DOE and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) to “immediately strike Antique from any list of potential nuclear power plant sites."

Related Tags

Loren Legarda Department of Environment and Natural Resources Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear power plant
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