FACT CHECK: Bangui Wind Farm in Ilocos Norte Not Bongbong Marcos’ Project
The Bangui Wind Farm in Ilocos Norte is not a project of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as claimed by a Facebook post and lawyer Larry Gadon.
Claims: Facebook user Martin Buratay Dinatigas Jr. posted a photo of Vice President Leni Robredo in the Bangui Wind Farm in Ilocos Norte with the text, “ganda ng project ni bong bong, makapag selfie nga.”
He captioned his post on March 27 with “Di na nahiya tong lutang na to, nakaabot pa sa Ilocos.”
Lawyer Larry Gadon, who is running for senator under the slate of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. also said Ilocos Norte power windmill is a project initiated by the former senator.
Rating: False
Facts:
NorthWind Power Development Corporation (NPDC) spearheaded the development and construction of the 70-meter wind farm in Bangui Bay in Ilocos Norte in 2005.
The project was based on the 1996 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States, which saw Ilocos Norte as one of the Philippine locations perfect for sourcing energy through windmills.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an international organization on wildlife conservation, reported that the NPDC seized the opportunity, so the company, which is now owned by AC Energy Holdings, coordinated with World Bank to fund the construction of the first-ever wind farm in the Philippines, and in Southeast Asia.
Marcos only supported the project as governor of Ilocos Norte from 1998 to 2007.
On the other hand, the text in the post was not stated by presidential bet Robredo.
The photo of Robredo used in the post was taken on Feb. 5, 2015, which she captioned “Sunset in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.” She was then serving as the representative of Camarines Sur’s 3rd district.
Meanwhile, during the SMNI senatorial debate on March 2, Gadon was asked about his legislative proposal to accelerate the development of renewable energy.
Gadon cited wind farming and water turbines as viable renewable energy sources that he would push for in the country.
“Alam niyo iyong project na-initiate ni Bongbong Marcos doon sa Ilocos Norte, iyong windmill power source, iyan ang pinakamalaking energy producer in Southeast Asia. So, dapat kopyahin natin iyon, ipalaganap natin iyon. I-improve natin iyong mga water catchment system so that we can use the turbine technology. This is a very cheap cost of a source of energy, iyong turbines,” he said.
Why it matters: This is not the first time that supporters of Marcos claimed that the Bangui Wind Farm was a project of the presidential candidate, and posts like these continue to be shared online.
The post of Dinatigas, in particular, has garnered 1,300 reactions, 656 comments, and 1,700 shares as of this writing.
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