San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza has called to abandon plans to expand its Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) coal-fired power plant in Toledo City, citing its detrimental impact on the environment and nearby communities.
In a report by Inquirer, Alminaza stressed the escalating need to protect ecosystems amid increasingly destructive storms, emphasizing that the coal plant, a project under the Aboitiz group, poses grave risks to the environment.
He warned that the TVI facility could contaminate water and air, harm marine biodiversity, and disrupt the livelihoods of fisherfolk reliant on Tañon Strait, the country’s largest marine protected area.
The bishop added that the plant’s expansion threatens to devastate Tañon Strait and the millions of communities it sustains.
As the lead convener of WagGas (No to Gas, End Fossil Fuels), Alminaza criticized fossil fuel expansion for undermining humanity’s responsibility to safeguard the planet, saying that choosing to invest in coal projects is driven by greed, not logic.
Over 60 groups comprising church leaders, academics, fisherfolk, and private citizens from Cebu and Negros oppose the project, arguing that it violates the Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2020 coal moratorium and the Extended National Integrated Protected Area System Act.
Alminaza further questioned the purpose of declaring Tañon Strait a protected area if permits for environmentally harmful projects are still issued.
Aboitiz, in a previous statement, defended the project, saying it would utilize circulating fluidized bed (CFB) technology, a clean coal method that minimizes the release of toxic chemicals.
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