A second Fall of Bataan

Mabini, the Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism, has long been engaged in the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant story. The Grand Old Man, Sen. Lorenzo “Tanny” M. Tañada, led the charge against the plan to commission it. Joker Arroyo and I were privileged to be sounded out to assist him in the probe ordered by Marcos in response to a letter written by our Mabini chairman on the basis of a report by Jake Almeda Lopez following the 1979 Three Mile Island incident.

Media may have just reignited the flame of controversy (overshadowed by the speakership issue). I chaired the Cabinet committee on it in 1986, which role I continued as chairman of the Senate committee on the subject. Senator Tanny led and intensified the inquiry into the Three Mile Island incident in 1979, triggered by that letter from patriot Jake. Tanny wrote to Macoy who created the Puno commish, which led to the finding of many defects.