ILOILO CITY — What was supposed to be a public consultation on a proposed 50-megawatt (MW) AI data center in Oton, Iloilo, ended in uncertainty after its Norwegian proponent abruptly walked out and declared that there was no reason to continue the discussion amid mounting opposition from residents.
Daniel Stefan Robertsen, who presented the project under Norway Green Energy, was pitching the development of a 10-hectare hyperscale AI data center campus in Barangay Abilay Sur, Oton, during a public consultation on Friday, Aug. 14.
The proposed facility, which Robertsen described as a potential first for Western Visayas, would initially require 10 MW of power before expanding in phases to its full 50 MW capacity.
The hearing was called by the Oton Sangguniang Bayan’s Committee of the Whole, chaired by Vice Mayor Jose Neil Olivares.
The public consultation was held inside a chapel, which Robertsen said made his proposal “more spiritual and more beneficial.”
He said his presentation was intended to address what he described as misconceptions and give residents an opportunity to directly raise their concerns.
“When I am finished, you are here to ask me questions [...] We will clarify a couple of misunderstandings because I read some comments are rumors that are entirely lacking in information,” he said.
But the discussion took a different turn during the question-and-answer portion when Sangguniang Bayan member Annie Rose Paro asked how the proposed facility would use and manage water.
Paro sought clarification on the project’s water requirements and treatment system amid concerns surrounding the resource demands of large-scale AI data centers.
Robertsen appeared visibly irritated by the question and said he was not forcing the community to accept the project.
“Did you ever work in the data center? Yes? No?” he said.
An attendee sitting near Robertsen then interjected and expressed disapproval of the proposal.
“We don’t want it. We just don’t want it for the future of our children and our economy,” she said.
Robertsen responded that he would not proceed with a development that residents did not want.
He then declared that there was no reason to continue the discussion and left the venue.
“If you don’t want it, I don’t want it either. I am not forcing somebody to build the data center. I am not here to convince you. Let me say this: if you think that the data center is something toxic and you don’t want it, then let us stop the discussion now,” he said.
Minutes after walking out, Robertsen was approached by members of the media for an interview, but hurled expletives at reporters and threatened legal action over photographs and videos being taken.
“If you don’t have brain, just f*ck, go away,” he said.
“Do you know [the] Filipino privacy law? You are not allowed to take pictures of me. If you do that, I will take you [to] the court of the judge,” he added.
Questions left unanswered
The walkout drew criticism from Oton officials and residents, who said the public consultation was meant to allow the proponent to address questions and concerns about the proposed development.
Olivares said Robertsen’s conduct would be considered in the committee report to be drafted following the hearing, possibly archiving the foreign national’s proposal.
He noted the proponent’s walkout as an indication that he was withdrawing the proposal.
“If he [walked] out, that means he is withdrawing his proposal. We see it in bad taste. Supposedly, he should be gentleman enough to answer questions because he is the one proposing. He should present,” he said.
He said the public consultation was intended to give residents and stakeholders an opportunity to understand both the potential benefits and risks of putting up a large-scale technology facility in the municipality.