Environmental groups on Friday held simultaneous picket rallies to demand an immediate end to coal expansion ahead of the COP29 Climate Summit.

Protests were held in key areas, including Sual in Pangasinan, Mariveles in Bataan, Masinloc in Zambales, Batangas City, Mauban and Pagbilao in Quezon province, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Naga and Toledo cities in Cebu, Zamboanga City, Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte, Maasim in Saranggani, Malita in Davao Occidental, and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental. These places are where coal plants continue to damage the local communities.

“With the recent contravention of the Department of Energy on the coal moratorium, havoc will intensify. Coal has been ruining lives and harming the environment and communities for decades,” said Ian Rivera, national coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ).

“Despite a 2020 moratorium, Secretary Raphael Lotilla’s move has opened doors for the resurgence of coal. This would not have happened if the government through the DoE had not tied the country’s energy development to the deadly and expensive imported fossil fuels. The high cost of LNG (liquified natural gas) in the global market has turned the heads of energy companies to coal not only in the Philippines but in Asia. The country will continue its fossil fuel addiction, if clean and cost competitive renewables will not be given due attention by BBM (Bongbong Marcos) and the DoE. We demand an immediate halt to new coal plants and a swift phase-out of existing ones,” he said.

While coal is making its way globally again, the Asia People’s Movement on Debt and Development is leading the charge to prevent its resurgence in Asia.

“We are joining hundreds of mobilizations all over the world calling for an end to fossil fuels. In Asia, more than a hundred actions will take place in several countries, including the Philippines. We are calling on Asian governments to stop the expansion of coal in our countries and to implement a rapid, equitable and just phase-out of existing coal. Our electricity needs can be met with renewable energy, which is less costly, quicker to build, easier to make accessible to all communities and reduces reliance on imported fuels,” Lidy Nacpil, the Asia Coordinator of APMDD said.

A battleground for coal expansion

New coal projects are pushing forward despite their known dangers. In Luzon, Mariveles is set to add two units of a 150-megawatt (MW) coal plant, and Masinloc is expanding with an additional 315-MW facility, worsening pollution and health issues.

Palawan also faces a threat with a proposed 15-MW coal plant in Nara.

“The proposed coal expansions in Mariveles and Masinloc will not only worsen pollution, health problems and climate crisis, it will impact the high cost of electricity as these coal are imported. We need an immediate stop to these projects,” said PMCJ Luzon Campaigner Erwin Puhawan.