Date:
July 19-25, 2015
Route:
Maranding, Lala, Lanao del Norte to Dalipuga, Iligan City
As “power crisis” in
Mindanao heightens, augmentation of power generation by burning coal has
generated more support from both public officials and private companies. As
such, recently we have seen the proliferation of coal-fired power plants in
several areas in Mindanao.
In Northern Mindanao,
Lafarge Cement Corporation is applying to build a 20 megawatt (MG) coal-fired
power plant in Kiwalan, Iligan City while the Ozamis Power Generation
Incorporated is also proposing to build a 300 MG coal plant in Brgy. Pulot,
Ozamis City. Of the biggest plant among them is the one being constructed by
GNPower in between Brgy. Tacub and Brgy. Libertad in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte
which has a generation capacity of about 540 megawatt.
The recent data from the report of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) during the 5th Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC)[1] on February 24, 2015, however, proved that “power crisis” in Mindanao is a mere speculation. The report shows that the average forecasted power demands in Mindanao from the month of March to June of this year pegged nly at 1488MW. In the same report, the combined generation capacity on the same months, of Agus-Pulangi Hydro Power Complexes, existing Independent Power Producers (IPPs), embedded plants from distribution utilities, and generators owned by factories and malls has an average total of 1910.7MW.
Despite the long dry-spell that is widely experienced in Mindanao, based on the data presented by NGCP, there are at least 400MW power surplus in Mindanao from the month of March to June, 2015. Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), one of the eight (8) principal members of MPMC also affirmed that power supply in Mindanao is expected to have excess for this year.
Alongside this issue on power crisis speculation that only caters the profit-oriented interest of the investors and private com panies, is the fact that coal-fired power plant is hazardous to both human beings and environment.
Dubbed as the dirtiest source of energy, coal industry is identified by
the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) to produce the most- carbon
intensive products. From its extraction from the earth’s surface to its
processing, coal is single biggest contributor to the historical increase of
greenhouse gases (GHG) emission in the atmosphere since the beginning of the
industrial revolution.
Coal-fired power
stations and all other activities that include coal burning are as well
recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the leading human activity
to release mercury. Mercury is a toxic substance. Once discharged in the bodies
of water, it can be ingested by marine organisms such as fish and shells which
supply as of the major components of human diet. Mercury may cause serious
health problems once eaten by humans.
It is important to note
that the above mentioned coal-fired power plants surround Iligan Bay and
Panguil Bay- two bodies of water which shelter several marine protected areas
and are home to several unique endemic marine species. These bodies of water
sustain thousands of coastal inhabitants from the province of Misamis Oriental,
Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Sur whose main source of
living is through fishing and other related livelihood.
Aside from coal-fired power plants, coal
mining is a thriving business in Mindanao. According to the Energy Resource
Development Bureau of the Department of Energy (DOE), Mindanao is the country’s
coal basin. In 2014, DOE opened up for bidding 15 areas in Mindanao for coal
exploration.
Most of the coal-reserves are found in
the mountains in Mindanao. The remaining mountains in Mindanao, however, are
part the ancestral domains of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs). Opening these mountains for coal mining means
three (3) things: 1. destroying the sacred lands and ancestral domains of the
IPs; 2. displaced IPs from their subsistence production; and, 3. stripping them
out of their identity which is very attached to their land.
The Climate
Walk:
In response to the proliferation of the
coal-fired power plant in Mindanao, the Coal Resistance Movement will organize
a 92-kilometer Climate Walk which will start from Maranding, Lala, Lanao del
Norte to Dalipuga, Iligan City. This will be this coming July 19 to 25, 2015.
The walk will also include community
education of the negative effects of coal-fired power plant to fisherfolks,
coastal inhabitants and different vulnerable sectors in Lanao del Norte and
Iligan City. There will also be dialogue with municipal, provincial and city
government units and legislators for the passage of measures in stopping/
banning coal-fired power plants while imploring support for promotion and
development of renewal energy sources which Mindanao is rich of.
The walk hopes to gather more or less 700
hundred participants from communities and organizations for the entire
duration.
Objectives:
Specifically, this activity aims to:
1) Generate support and commitments from Municipal, Provincial and City Legislators and Executives to ban Coal-Fired Power Plant in their respective area;
2) Strengthen anti-coal campaign by gathering local, national, international organizations and individuals who supportive of the campaign;
3) Increase the awareness of the communities that are and will be affected by the coal-fired power plant; and,
4) Increase visibility of the campaign through local, national and international media/social media.
These
were the words that resonated within the walls of the barangay hall of Titunod,
Kolambugan after the discussion on coal issues and implications was conducted
by CoRe (Coal Resistance) Movement on June 15.
The success of the activity
prompted the barangay to stage an art workshop for the children in line with
coal issues as a follow-up activity. It is scheduled this Saturday, June 20.
