Advocates for clean energy: No to coal

Hundreds of residents of coal-affected communities and civil society organizations staged a rally in front of the Department of Energy (DOE) office in Taguig City yesterday to protest the country’s dependence on coal power.

The protesters urged the Duterte administration to break free from coal and instead shift to renewable energy.

They criticized Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi for allegedly supporting coal power.

“Under his watch, companies dependent on coal see the Philippines as a safe haven for dirty energy,” lawyer Aaron Pedroza, one of the protest organizers, said.

“All available energy options are being considered by Cusi except the right ones,” Pedrosa, who heads the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice Energy Working Group, added.

The protesters blamed coalfired power plants for global warming that has had devastating effects on vulnerable countries such as the Philippines.

Citing a Harvard University study, Pedrosa said 2,410 Filipinos could die each year due to pollution-related illnesses.

Pedrosa said Cusi has expressed his advocacy for alternative energy sources, including nuclear power.

According to the 2017 Boom and Bust Global Pipeline report, the Philippines is among the 10 hot spots for the construction of coal projects.

“The continued engagement of the people are instrumental in changing the world’s energy system,” Gerry Arances, convenor of the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development, said.

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