6000+ petitioners filed at DENR Photo: AC Dimatatac

6000+ petitioners filed at DENR Photo: AC Dimatatac

 

Palawan Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE) equipped with more than six thousand (6,000) signatures urging DENR Secretary Ramon Jesus Paje to deny DMCI an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for a proposed coal power plant in the Philippines’ last ecological frontier – Palawan. The ECC is to ensure that projects will not have negative impacts to the environment.

“These signatures will not be a waste. This is strong evidence that people are against the coal project in Palawan. DMCI must prove to us that the environmental reasons behind these signatures are invalid before they can get the ECC,” says USec Ignacio.

Cynthia Sumagaysay del Rosario said , “DENR told us that DMCI has not submitted any EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) that is necessary to have an ECC. We will not let our guards down and we will remain vigilant.”

The ECC is the final step before project implementation. Previously, the Provincial Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) chair Provincial Governor Jose C. Alvarez had approved the project on the provincial level.

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Palawan Getting Rid of DMCI

PACE and other anti-coal groups continue to stand against the project. DMCI has been turned away from Barangay Panacan in the Municipality of Narra, and also in Barangay San Juan, Aborlan. About four months ago, the City Government of Puerto Princesa issued a resolution which vehemently opposed the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Palawan. More recently, the Barangay Council of Irawan issued a similar resolution against the coal project. These milestones of organized resistance only prove that the people continue to reap victories against coal.

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“Our livelihood largely depends on fishing and farming. DMCI may be able to pay the penalties to any environmental damages if this project will push though– but its impacts to our lives and livelihood will be irreversible.” Manong Teofilo, a farmer from Barangay Calatigas stated.

At large

November this year, the UN Conference on Climate Change or COP21 will gather in Paris. If participating governments fail to come up with legally binding agreements to keep global warming below 2ºC, it will be the less developed countries, who contribute very little to the worsening climate, which will be deeply affected. To achieve this goal, 80% of the known coal reserves should be kept in the ground. This burden falls greatly on the shoulders of the biggest polluter economies in the world.

Petitioners including former Climate Change Commissioner, Yeb Sano, was among those present in demanding climate liability. Photo: AC Dimatatac

 

For Manong Teofilo and the communities at the frontline whose lives and livelihood are at stake, finding solutions is very real and urgent. There is no place for coal in the country’s last ecological frontier, national pride and heritage. To all who supported, the fight is not yet over! We’ve delivered our voices resisting coal in Palawan—our persistence in unified action will determine the fate of DMCI’s coal power project.