Human Rights Online Philippines

DON’T FOOL US DMCI SAID: Group Slams to Isidro Consunji’s Statement

Insatiable Greed

Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) reacted to recent pronouncement made by DMCI Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Isidro Consunji on their plan to shift all off grid areas into coal-fired plant.

National Coordinator of PMCJ, Gerry Arances, has this to say,” DMCI’s plan to put up coal-fired power plant in areas served by Small Power Utilities Groups (SPUG) and the state-owned National Power Corporation (Napocor) is a blatant act of putting the lives of the Filipino people in great danger.”

“This barefaced pronouncement clearly shows that DMCI is only after the profit the company will earn and has complete disregard on the welfare of the communities which will be affected by this coal-fired power plant”, Arances added.

Coal Is Dirty and Harmful

According to DMCI, they are eyeing SPUG areas as potential power plant sites, particularly in Palawan, Masbate, and Mindoro. These areas will be priority areas where the company plans to build coal-fired power plant.

Mr.Isidro Consunji even contested issues raised by different environmental organizations that coal is dirty. He argued that if coal is dirty, why is the expansion of Calaca coal-fired power plant in Batangas be allowed?

“The argument of Mr.Consunji does not hold water,” said Arances.

Arances explained that “the fact that expansion of Calaca which is also DMCI owned was allowed does not mean that there are no opposition to it. Also it does not follow that since it was allowed then it is already clean and safe.”

“Take the case of Palawan where DMCI is building a 15MW coal-fired power plant. Palawenos are opposing it and yet the project was allowed by the local government, notwithstanding the fact that it will threaten the island’s biodiversity and the above all the lives of the people residing there,” he added.

DMCI will employ the Circulating Fluidized Bed Technology in Palawan – a technology that is capable of getting rid of the sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide gases which are present in acid rain.

“This technology does not address the other ill-effects of coal-fired power plants ‘presence of heavy metals like mercury and arsenic, to mention a few. Also, what the people in the coal industry always and conveniently omit when they pitch for it is the truth that the entire lifecycle of coal is dirty, dangerous, and detrimental to the lives of the people,” said Jaybee Garganera, National Coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina and also a member of PMCJ.

“Before coal is burned, it must be mined, transported, and refined. Mining it utilizes strip mining where whole mountains are destroyed and coal ash flew and inhaled by the people in the community. This gives rise to incidents of asthma, lung disease [which result from] water pollution and other toxic waste. All this the people in the coal industry the Consunji’s included must answer.” Garganera added.

Coal Is Not an Option

“DMCI’s plan to convert off-grid areas to coal-fired power plants will further put the people at risk. The fact that most of these areas are remote areas and small islands, are very susceptible to disasters brought by climate change. Adding coal-fired power plant to the picture will aggravate the threat. Its presence will destroy the adaptive capacity of the community thereby making them more susceptible to danger” Arances explained.

PMCJ demands that the government must set it eyes in other energy sources which are safe, clean, accessible, and renewable rather than relying on coal and other fossil fuels which are known contributors to global warming.

Lastly Arances has this to say,” Hindi porke natuloy ang proyekto ligtas at payag na dito ang mga mamamayan, batid natin na kapag pera na ang gumalaw nag iiba na ang kalakaran.”

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The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) is a broad movement consisting of 103 national networks/alliances and local organizations representing basic sectors, grassroots communities, the marginalized and most vulnerable, including women, indigenous peoples, fisher folk and coastal communities, farmers and rural communities, forest communities, formal and informal workers, environmental groups, urban poor, and others in the Philippines that aims to lead the joint struggles, campaigns and actions in putting forward the climate justice framework as a fundamental element of solving the climate crisis.

For more information:
Gerry Arances, PMCJ Coordinator, <gerry.arances@gmail.com> 0932-8778578

Khevin Yu, PMCJ Campaign Staff <khevinyu@gmail.com> 0917-5213356

PRESS RELEASE
May 20, 2013

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