Groups from Quezon Province file complaint vs DOE chief for coal project

Church leaders and residents all the way from Atimonan in Quezon Province, led by Quezon for Environment (QUEEN) went to the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday protested and filed their complaint against Department of Energy Secretary Sharon Garin for approving the 1,200-Megawatt (MW) Atimonan One Energy Inc. (A1E) coal-fired power plant project.

“No one is interested in investing in the construction of coal plants anymore as their era has passed. Even the past DOE leadership has given up on it. DOE Secretary Garin has created a mess, and now she has to face the consequences,” Fr. Warren Puno of Queen stated.

The case filed before the Office of the Ombudsman to Garin is on his alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019), as well as committing grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. Complainants charge Garin for unlawfully allowing the Atimonan coal plant project to proceed despite the coal moratorium, even as it did not fall under any of the exemptions, thereby risking serious harm to local communities and the environment.

The group cited that in 2020, where DOE issued a coal moratorium to halt the development of new coal-fired power plant projects. However, in July 2025, Sec. Garin exempted the Atimonan coal plant project from the moratorium even though it allegedly did not meet the requirements for exemption. 

“Sec. Garin clearly violated her own Department’s coal moratorium when she conveniently greenlighted the Atimonan coal plant despite DOE’s previous decision to bar the long-stalled project due to the existing ban. Her approval bears the hallmarks of corruption by accommodating a project to the point of breaking existing regulations,”Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) chief legal counsel Atty. Aaron Pedrosa said. 

Atty. Pedrosa emphasized that even the DOE’s 14 October 2025 advisory, which expanded the exemptions to the coal moratorium, cannot justify the Atimonan coal plant project.

Atty. Pedrosa also cited that the project also violates the Department of Health (DOH) - Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2021-0001, also known as Guidelines for the Operationalization of the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Review Process for Development Projects, as the project proponent has yet to send an application for Health Impact Clearance Certificate.

The groups urge the Office of the Ombudsman to promptly act on the case filed to deter public officials from extending undue advantage to projects that may harm public welfare.

“In the face of ongoing protests and investigation into the flood control issue, Garin should be investigated for facilitating the endorsement and approval of projects supposedly banned by the government,”Atty. Pedrosa emphasized.