San Carlos bishop lauds government's commitment to renewable energy

NEGROS. San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza. (Diocesan Social Communications Office Photo)
NEGROS. San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza. (Diocesan Social Communications Office Photo)

DIOCESE of San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza Thursday, November 4, 2021, lauded the affirmation made by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on his administration’s dedication in advancing renewable energy (RE) in the province by welcoming investments on green energy and encouraging the development of means to harness energy from sources like the sun and wind.

Responding to a statement delivered by Alminaza in a House Committee on Energy meeting last week, which tackled the observed rise of electricity rates in electric cooperatives in Negros and Iloilo, Lacson said he “believe[s] that renewable energy will help bring down the cost of power in Negros in the long term.”

“It is assuring to hear from the head of our provincial government that Negros Occidental will seek to secure a future powered by clean energy that genuinely benefits its residents, especially at a time when the prices of our electricity and fuel soar and as the climate emergency we face keeps getting worse, just like what global leaders are discussing now at the climate summit in the United Kingdom,” Alminaza said in a statement.

The San Carlos prelate serves as a convenor of REpower Negros, a broad civil society organization, youth, church and consumer-led movement advancing renewable energy in the island.

“Governor Lacson served as mayor for a good while in our very own dear San Carlos, which today is recognized as an RE hub not just in the Philippines but also in Southeast Asia,” Alminaza said.

“We hope this direction can be consistently followed both in terms of the kind of energy Negros produces and the kind of energy contracted by our electric cooperatives, because right now our homes are still powered mostly by costly and dirty fossil fuel plants from outside the island,” said Alminaza.

Alminaza, a staunch advocate for the environment and against destructive energy from fossil fuels, said he is hopeful that Lacson’s commitment will also translate to protecting Negros and its people from the threat of fossil fuel development.

“San Carlos is the site of a proposed coal plant now turned into a fossil gas project of San Miguel Corporation (SMC). Many say natural or fossil gas is a clean energy source, but it is very clear that, like coal and all other fossil fuels, it brings harm to our already degrading environment and risks exacerbating climate change,” he said.

The bishop added that “we look to our local government to back Negrosanons up in the fight against gas, and look forward to also being able to engage SMC towards working with the people instead in the journey to sustainably re-power Negros.”

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