Greenpeace activists construct a "climate defenders camp" at the site of a proposed coal plant coal in Iloilo City.
They are demanding the cancellation of the plant. They are also
calling on the Philippine Senate to fast track the passage of the
Renewable Energy (RE) Bill, which has already been passed by the
House of Representatives, to pave way for ambitious renewable
energy development in the country making any notion of new coal
redundant.
Update - 15 June In an unprovoked attempt to disrupt the
camp, workers from the Panay Power Corporation (PPC), acting under
ordersfrom management, tried to dismantle the camp tower
whileGreenpeace climbers were still on the structure and could have
been injured.Later the workers fenced in the Camp tower with bamboo
poles andtarpaulin, cutting off the Greenpeace activists.
The harassment happened in the presence of local Police,
Barangayofficials, and PPC management. It began at 1:30 PM today,
as 20Greenpeace volunteers and some representatives from RISE
(ResponsibleIlonggos for Sustainable Energy) were hosting a
gathering with around20 townsfolk from Bgy Ingore, shortly after a
solidarity activity,where Greenpeace volunteers and community folk
planted symbolicwindsocks at the camp site.
Read
the full update here, or see Mareike's blog entries on Making Waves
here and
here.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has given strong backing for
the construction of the 165 MW coal plant, even though it will
contribute to climate change and contaminate local communities.
"A coal plant does not and must not have any business in Iloilo
nor the Philippines anymore. We want clean renewable energy to
power the development of the city and our country. The entire
Western Visayas should be made a development model for renewable
energy," said Melvin Pursuelo, the convener of RISE.
On Wednesday, the Philippine House of Representatives passed the
Renewable Energy Resources Act, which seeks to promote the
development, utilisation and commercialisation of renewable energy
in the Philippines. The passage of the Act is a significant
milestone in a country where community opposition to coal power
plants is surging due to concerns about climate change and
pollution.
Recently, leading political figures have also voiced strong
opposition to coal plants, backed our call for the country to "Quit
Coal" and supported clean renewable energy developments. The
governor of Albay province, an area recently hit by disastrous
typhoons and mudslides, has declared the province a coal free zone,
in addition to Negros Occidental which has already adopted a path
towards a 100% renewable energy. Meanwhile, Senators Miguel Zubiri
and Pia Cayetano expressed support for our "Quit Coal" campaign and
a shift to renewable energy.
"The Senate must pass the Renewable Energy Bill. The present
situation demands that the government quickly and radically improve
energy efficiency, deal with the problems of energy distribution
and develop the renewable energy market. We have to do it now while
the country sits on 54 percent over-capacity for electricity
generation and a huge renewable energy potential. The threat of
climate impacts to the entire country should be enough to spur the
government to mitigate and adapt, starting with the cancellation of
new coal power plant projects," said Jasper Inventor, Climate and
Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
A new study has revealed that the Philippines has a renewable
energy potential of more than 200,000 MW from a combination of
geothermal, wind, solar, biomass, and mini-hydro - more than five
times the country's current energy demand. Most of the renewable
energy potential is yet to be tapped because of the absence of an
investment and development framework and delays by the Arroyo
government in passing the Renewable Energy Bill.
The Rainbow Warrior is in the Philippines to spearhead the
Greenpeace "Quit Coal Tour" in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. We
aim to promote an energy revolution to stop climate change, which
includes phasing out the use of climate-damaging coal and rejecting
nuclear power, and calls for a massive uptake of renewable
energy.
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