San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo | PHOTO: San Carlos City, Neg. Occ. -LGU Information Page (facebook page)
BACOLOD CITY—Various groups have requested San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo to fulfill his pledge to “work towards thriving and prosperous coastal communities” by rejecting a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant.
Gustilo, who ran unopposed, was recently awarded by the international conservation organization RARE as among 500 coastal leaders from different countries working to support “healthy and sustainable fishing communities.”
“The people of San Carlos City are in dire need of strong leadership that recognizes and protects the importance of healthy and sustainable fishing communities … Unfortunately, San Carlos residents are facing many threats to their coastal resources and livelihoods, most concerning among which is the 300 MW LNG plant,” the group said in a letter to Gustilo.
The plant is being proposed by the San Miguel Corporation-owned Reliance Energy Development Inc.(REDI-SMC).
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said the planned fossil fuel power plant is located in the San Carlos Ecozone facing Tañon Strait, a body of water separating Negros and Cebu that hosts thriving marine life, including commercial fish, dolphins, and whales.
“We congratulate Mayor Gustilo for being recognized as a government leader embodying care for creation. We urge him to go further by cementing a legacy of protecting our coasts and coastal communities through rejecting REDI-SMC’s LNG power plant, which will drain life from the Tanon Strait, harm his constituents, and take away the livelihood of fisherfolk,” said Alminaza.
Environmentalists warned that the project, if built, would generate increased shipping traffic and emissions, destroy marine habitats, mangroves, and wetlands along the shoreline, generate pollution, and expose local communities to various hazards.
The letter to Gustilo was signed by local stakeholders and supporting organizations, including Youth for Climate Hope, Tanon Strait Fisherfolk Federation, Lapayran People’s Organization of Bantayan, Cebu, Oceana Philippines, Philippine Earth Justice Center, and Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development.
“We invite you to stand in solidarity with the residents of San Carlos and all concerned groups in protecting Tanon Strait, promoting healthy and sustainable fishing communities, and maintaining San Carlos fossil-free,” the groups wrote.