ECC given to coal plant questioned

LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines — A staunch opposition leader against coal-fired power plants vowed to continue challenging the legality of the proposed 1,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Atimonan town in Quezon province.

“We’re more on legal battle now,” Fr. Warren Puno, head of the Ministry of Ecology of the Diocese of Lucena, said in an online interview.

Puno strongly criticized the support of the local government unit to the ongoing construction of the coal-fired power plant in the coastal village of Villa Ibaba facing Lamon Bay.

Petition for ECC cancellation

On Tuesday, Puno joined the protest at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) main office in Quezon City to petition for the cancellation of the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) granted to Atimonan One Energy (A1E), following the discovery of alleged breaches to environmental and community education requisites.

A1E, the developer of the plant, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Meralco PowerGen Corp., the power generation arm of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest power distributor.

Specific requirements

In a statement, the protesters, composed of environmentalist groups, religious and other sectoral representatives, claimed that the ECC issued to A1E in 2015 “clearly stated specific requirements.”

Citing certified true copies of permits issued by the DENR-Forest Management Bureau (FMB) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Region 4 A, lawyer Avril de Torres, counsel of Power for People Coalition, noted that “the tree-cutting and earth-balling permits from FMB require A1E to put up placards in a conspicuous place to inform stakeholders that land clearing is authorized by the DENR.”

The protesters charged that “at least 10 residents, including Church representatives and community leaders, have testified to not having seen any such signs since land clearing started.”

“Since there are no placards and the last permit from the PCA has already expired, residents are concerned that land clearing is being done illegally,” De Torres said.