Power for People Coalition
Environmental advocates and consumer groups on Friday evening gathered in a candle-lighting protest to call for justice for the victims of recent typhoons and to demand for the government to phase out fossil fuels amidst worsening climate impacts.
The action, led by WagGas and Power for People Coalition, is part of a coordinated effort across the country for the Global Day of Action against Fossil Fuels. This is in line with the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, where CSOs are calling on the Philippine government to stand for a fossil fuel phaseout in the climate negotiations.
“The Philippine government would do well to remember that a record-breaking series of typhoons have made landfall in the Philippines in less than a month while they dilly-dally in climate talks at COP29. Our lives are not just numbers, and the worsening impacts of calamities have long been brewing while they continue to discuss the expansion of coal and pass bills to promote gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the country. We call on the President to veto the natural gas bill and put us on track towards a 100% RE transition. Fossils should be left in the past,” said Krishna Ariola, founding convenor of Youth for Climate Hope Philippines (Y4CH).
The House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted the recently-passed Senate Bill No. 2793 or the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act, promoting the use of indigenous gas alongside LNG despite opposition from host communities of proposed gas projects, consumer groups, and environmental advocates.
“Coal and gas are not only damaging to marine ecosystems and the climate, but also directly translates to higher electricity prices. These fossil fuels are also highly unreliable, with 51% of the forced outages in the past five years due to coal plants, and 19% attributable to gas plants. Meanwhile, the Philippines has massive untapped RE potential that can help lower electricity prices. It is critical that we end our dependence on fossil fuels and heighten RE ambitions so the country can be on track to a 1.5C-aligned power sector,” said Gerry Arances, convenor of Power for People Coalition.
The hotspot of proposed gas and LNG projects in the Philippines is located in Batangas, whose waters are part of the highly-biodiverse Verde Island Passage (VIP). Multiple companies have also expressed interest in expanding their coal fleet despite the coal moratorium, namely AboitizPower’s Therma Visayas Inc. in Cebu and MGen’s Atimonan One Energy in Quezon.
“We stand together in a solemn call for the protection of our planet. These proposed coal and gas projects will be built right beside critical marine ecosystems, spewing toxic pollutants into our oceans and climate-warming emissions into the atmosphere. Our oceans should be protected and conserved, not be given to corporations as a business venture for fossil fuel projects. The Church has stood with local communities bravely fighting against these projects in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and we will continue to do so until the government hears our call: phase out fossil fuels,” said Bishop Gerry Alminaza, convenor of WagGas, a network of communities opposing gas projects around the country.
Samahan ng Mamamayan – Zone One Tondo (SM-ZOTO), Konsyumer, and other environmental advocates also joined the mobilization. Other areas in the Philippines including Mauban, Pagbilao, and Atimonan in Quezon Province, Batangas City, Oriental Mindoro, Tacloban, Bacolod, San Carlos, Cebu, Bohol, and Cagayan de Oro also participated in the simultaneous nationwide candle-lighting protest.