Statement of Kapatiran to the nuclear disaster in Japan

Dear Medy, dear Ed,

I hope everything is fine with you.

Since this disaster in Japan happened, we are very concerned about the situation in Asia.

Here in Germany the protest movement against nuclear energy has increased dramatically.

We are working on our next newsletter and would like to ask you some questions:

1. Which effect has the atomic desaster on the Philippines and how do the Filipino people react?

2. Do you as a „neighbour“ of Japan have special contacts or information (for example from Toyota workers)?

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Dear Julia, Albert, Rosi, Dilek,

Warm greetings!

In answer to your question : reaction of Filipinos to the nuclear disaster in Japan– Here in the Philippines, the main concern of many Filipinos are basic necessities– food, jobs, housing, health, education. Although there are more than 300,000 Filipinos living in Japan (many of them with Japanese husbands and children), only about 7000 (including Japanese husbands) have returned home after the nuclear catastrophe in northeast Japan.. Almost all who have come back to the Philippines live in northeast Japan. Those living near Tokyo and the southern part of Japan have decided to stay there. This is because to come home to the Philippines means having no jobs, or money.

In the late 1970’s (time of the Marcos dictatorship ) building a nuclear reactor was started in Morong, Bataan (a province in Centrral Luzon), but construction was stopped in the early 1980’s because there was very many protests against this — mainly because there are many active volcanos in that area ( Mount Pinatubo is less than 70 kilometers away from the site of the nuclear reactor. Pinatubo Volcano erupted in 1991 and caused very much damage to the provinces in Central Luzon, including Bataan). Until now– 35 years later, Filipino people are still paying the huge debt of millions of dollars to Westinghouse Corp. the company which started the construction of the Bataan nuclear reactor. Our militant peoples‘ organizations all know and believe THAT FILIPINO PEOPLE NEED NUCLEAR REACTORS IN THE PHILIPPINES LIKE THEY NEED A HOLE IN THE HEAD… Before 11 March 2011 some politicians were once more pushing for the continuation of the construction of the Bataan nuclear reactor; but since then, they have decided to keep quiet.

As reaction to the radiation from the destroyed nuclear reactors in Japan, the Aquino government hurriedly imposed restrictions to food coming from Japan. But the restrictions are very artificial and hardly implemented. This is because the Aquino government views Japanese government and Japanese corporations as a „benefactors“ and the Aquino government is afraid the Japanese might get angry.

Our militant organizations in the cities and countrysides educate our people and tell them the truth about nuclear reactors and the nuclear catastrophe that happened in Japan.

This is all for now.

For KAPATIRAN,
Medy