PAGBILAO, Quezon, Philippines -- Saying they were contented with the operation of a coal-fired power plant in their midst, local government officials said Saturday they wished Greenpeace activists aboard Rainbow Warrior to lift anchor and stop blocking the delivery of coal to the facility.

“The plant is not doing us any harm. They operate within the ambit of the law and any violations on their operations would be surely dealt with by the proper authorities. But so far, we have yet to receive any violation reports,” Pagbilao Vice Mayor Apolinar Martinez told the Inquirer in an interview.

He said he would advice Greenpeace activists to file their complaints against the Team Energy Philippines (TE, formerly Mirant) plant located in the coastal village of Ibabang Polo with the appropriate government agencies.

“They should air their grievances against the plant before any proper government forum and not by conducting protest actions by blocking the coal shipment,” he said.

Even the village chieftain of Ibabang Polo has criticized the action taken by Greenpeace.

“The plant management has been good to us. They help us through various development programs and projects for the benefit of the whole village,” Wilfredo Matinez, chieftain of the village of Ibabang Polo said over the phone.

He denied claims by environmentalist groups that the plant spews toxic wastes that endanger human health.

“I have yet to receive or hear reports that any of the villagers fell sick because of the plant operation. We’re all doing fine here because of the help and support of the plant management,” he said.

Martinez admitted that the village has a share of the taxes being paid by the plant.

Diony Dapla, chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Pagbilao Mangrove Experimental Forest in the coastal village of Ibabang Palsabangon, also vouched for the “environmentally sound” operation of the plant.

“We don’t have any records of environmental infractions committed by the plant, said Dapla, also a member of a multi-sectoral group tasked to monitor the plant operation.

Greenpeace’s flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, has been anchored in front of the plant’s wharf since Friday morning trying to block the unloading of coal from the ship Medi Firenze and prevent another ship laden with coal from approaching the pier.

Greenpeace said in a statement on Friday that it took the action to send a message to the government that it should stop building and expanding harmful coal-fired power plants.

The Rainbow Warrior is in the country to spearhead the Greenpeace "Quit Coal Tour" in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The tour aims to promote solutions to stop climate change--an energy revolution away from the use of climate-damaging coal, and a massive shift to renewable energy, Greenpeace said.