After our day spent here in Subic Bay, we were scratching our heads as to why we actually had a stop here. We did learn a little but nothing about the city itself. Subic Bay is a former US Naval Base. One of our friends, Ian was based here in the navy and he and a few diving buddies went for an amazing dive. I believe he had a much better experience than we did.
We started our day with a long and boring drive (will explain more on this later) to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Now a deactivated facility, the tour offered a glimpse into the Philippines’ foray into nuclear energy. The guide at the plant explained the science behind the plant’s operations. It was an interesting peek into a controversial yet significant chapter of the country’s history.
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) was controversial for a few key reasons. 1) Safety. The plant’s location was a major point of contention. It sits on an earthquake fault line near Mount Natib, a volcano. This raised worries about potential damage from seismic activity or volcanic eruptions. Additionally, the Three Mile Island accident in the US (1979) during the BNPP’s construction heightened public anxieties about nuclear safety. Scratching my head on why they would build one here.
2) Corruption allegations. The project was built under the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, which was known for corruption. Critics suspected that the deal to construct the BNPP involved inflated costs and kickbacks to those close to the government.
And, 3) Economic Feasibility. Some questioned the economic viability of the project. The Philippines, at the time, lacked the robust infrastructure and expertise necessary to safely operate a nuclear power plant. The high cost of construction also raised concerns about the return on investment.
These factors combined fueled a strong anti-nuclear movement in the Philippines. The safety risks, coupled with suspicions of corruption, ultimately led to the BNPP being shelved. The construction started in April, 1979, suspended by Marcos in June and in April 1986, the Philippine government decided to mothball the plant. All this after spending 2.3 billion USD to build the plant and ultimately doing nothing with it. They did sell their uranium to Germany. Since 1980’s it has taken $1 million yearly to maintain the plant. Nothing that we can see is running so we don’t know what they are spending this money on. They stated it was potentially up for sale but everything inside is still from the 80’s. Why would anyone buy something that’s so outdated? We were unable to take photos inside the plant because there are 2 other sister plants in full operation.
We walked the full height of the plant and these old bodies were exhausted by the time we reached the top. We heard there were 88 steps to the top. I think it was much more.
We didn’t learn much about the city itself. It appears this is the first cruise ship into the city this year and they didn’t have many tour guides so they brought in people that worked in the government offices. These “guides” that I’ll call babysitters, didn’t know anything and we had to ask questions to try to get some information. We finally gave up. They were taking more selfies than we were.
After leaving the plant, soaked with sweat, we ventured over to the Pamulaklakin Forest, a haven for the indigenous Aeta people. It was different change of pace. Here, we were greeted by a group of Aeta children and women, adorned with colorful traditional clothing, captivated us with a short performance of their local heritage dance. The youngest boy was so cute (around 3 years old) and 1/2 way into the dance he as done! A laughable moment.
Following the dance, we had the privilege of learning some essential survival skills from the Aeta themselves. They demonstrated the art of building a fire using just bamboo sticks and with “green” bamboo, he cut it and squeezed water from the stalks into many of the tourist open mouths.
And, that was pretty much it. A disappointing tour but we learned so much from Manila about the Philippines, we were satisfied with our introduction into this country.
We get a sea day to recoup but then we are in Hong Kong! Very excited to see the dazzling lights of this busy city and country on our first trip to China. We will be here for two days and our time is stretched to the max!
Just a quick note: We have been informed that we might encounter limited WiFi connectivity over the next few weeks. Mostly around China and India. I’ll catch up on the blog as I can.
May God bless you always!
Chuck & Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 