MT. SAMAT, Bataan -- Tomorrow is the wrong time for a casual tourist to visit this shrine soaring majestically to some 2,000 feet above the sea.

April 9 being Bataan Day recalling the fall of this bastion to Japanese hordes 66 years ago, the site will be choked with people, including President Gloria Arroyo and envoys of the United States and Japan, former enemies in the last war.

Tourists in search of peace and quiet amid postcard scenery may want to come back some other time to fully enjoy the shrine.

Dominating Mt. Samat is a giant cross seen on a clear day all the way across the bay from Roxas Blvd. in Manila. An elevator takes visitors to the arm of the cross 450 feet above ground to enjoy a 360-degree view of vistas around it.

The view and the fresh air alone are enough reason for city folk to drive two hours to this Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor).

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WELCOME: Leading the welcome is a proud Gov. Enrique “Tet” Garcia. Listen to him:

“Look around you. This is Bataan. This is the Dambana ng Kagitingan. This is hallowed ground blessed with the blood of heroes.

“Be still for a moment and soak in the peace and tranquility that they purchased for us with their lives. Listen to the wind -- that is them singing songs of freedom and love of country.

“Thousands still trek to the mountains, the forests and the seas of Bataan -- not only to commune with the spirit of heroes, but also to find true liberation. They come here to live, to work, to invest, grow, and retire.

“As our demographics show, many have found in Bataan their liberation from the anxieties of body and spirit. They have found liberation from poverty, our modern-day enemy.”

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HANJIN CONDOS: Around two air miles away toward Subic, two high-rise condominiums standing on a protected rainforest are violating not only environmental rules but also the sensibilities of residents and nature freaks.

Sen. Dick Gordon, former big boss of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority protecting that nature preserve, is angry. He should be, like the rest of us.

The structures, built on the Morong (Bataan) side of the Subic watershed forest reserve, are owned by the Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Ltd.

The reserve was 10,000 hectares when turned over in 1992 to the Philippines by the US Navy, but had reportedly been reduced to 8,000 hectares by an amendment to its proclamation.

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PINOY PATTERN: That has been the sorry pattern in this country. Instead of expanding protected areas, we reduce them. Instead of removing structures to create open spaces, we sell or lease out park areas to build ugly structures.

An example is Rizal Park, whose small area (58 hectares) is now dotted with commercial structures. Aside from an uninspiring library building on one side, the government has allowed burger and business buildings on it.

In Quezon City, the National Housing Authority has been converting into commercial areas some of the land that had been wisely reserved for parks or breathing space around the Quezon Memorial.

In civilized countries, they buy blocks and demolish buildings and other structures to create public areas and open space for people's enjoyment. In this country, we do the opposite.

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WHITE ELEPHANT: Also in Morong is the country's most expensive White Elephant: the ex-Bataan nuclear power plant which was built (1976-1984) at a cost of $2.3 billion but never generated a watt of electricity.

For some 30 years, Filipinos were paying $155,000 daily in interest alone, while the Marcos crony who brokered the deal settled in a castle in Europe to enjoy his multimillion-dollar commission.

Thank gad, every dollar owed was finally paid some months ago. But still the plant has remained a dead resource.

In nearby Limay, there is another plant operated by the National Power Corp. Its rated capacity is 655 megawatts. (An Independent Power Producer is paid for its plant's rated capacity even if it does not produce or deliver it. Payment is not based on actual output.)

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NAPOCOR FUEL: Members of the Philippine Association of Independent Power Producers are demanding that Napocor be stripped of its right to procure coal and oil under House Bill 1889.

By contract, IPPs (Limay among them) in the Napocor network are not allowed to buy their own fuel, but must procure it through Napocor. Who gets the hefty commission?

In a position paper, PIPPA said allowing Napocor to retain fuel procurement while obligating IPP administrators to market the energy output “will be counter-productive and reduce privatization proceeds of the government.”

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LIMITED RIGHTS: The association said HB 1889 must be amended, because it limits the obligation of the IPP administrator upon privatization to selling the power generated but allows Napocor to continue procuring the IPP's fuel.

These IPP contracts include major power plants in Luzon with a total generating capacity of 6,242 megawatts. The biggest is the 1,200-MW Sual coal facility and the 1,200-MW Kepco Ilijan natural gas facility.

The other plants are Limay combined cycle (655MW), Pagbilao coal facility (735MW), Subic Power Corp. (116MW), Hedcor Bacun (29MW), Luzon Hydro Corp. (75MW), CBK Botocan (21MW), CBK Kalayaan (739MW), Casecnan (150MW), San Roque (411MW), Malaya (650MW) and Bauang Private Power Corp. (226MW). -- Via PLDT/WeRoam

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