GREETINGS, dear readers. We close this first month of a challenging yet hopeful new year with a most joyous occasion: congratulations are in order for Governor Roel Degamo, Vice Governor Edward Mark Macias, honorable members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and the people of Negros Oriental as they launch Friday, January 28, the province’s Renewable Energy Code.
This is a first of its kind ordinance that not only prohibits the construction of all fossil fuel power plants, but also commits to phasing out the use of fossil fuels in a timeline compatible with the 1.5 degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement. This is a prohibition that cannot be overturned except by a majority of the residents of Negros Oriental. This ensures that the welfare of our people, environment, and climate are not compromised by political whim, short-term gains, and self-interests of the few.
This piece of legislation is a fruit of our dear people’s relentless resistance against destructive energy. For over two decades, we in Negros have taken down at least five coal-fired power plant projects proposed in various towns. This was done to protect generations present and to come from the destruction that comes along with coal operations, which many communities in other parts of the Philippines are unfortunately forced to suffer today.
That proved to be a wise decision, as we today live in a world faced with the urgent challenge of moving away from polluting energy from fossil fuels due to an intensifying climate crisis. Many communities in Negros Oriental and all over Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Southern Luzon have yet to recover from the havoc typhoon Odette wreaked just before Christmas last year. It is not the first typhoon to create this amount of damage, and we can sadly be certain that it will not be the last. Negrosanons and Filipinos as a whole are on the receiving end of some of the deadliest manifestations of rising global temperatures, and any new fossil fuel plant, which emits high amounts of greenhouse gases, means trouble for us.
Through this ordinance, Negros Oriental exhibits genuine and unparalleled leadership in contributing to climate goals, especially as it turns its back not only to coal, but also all other fossil fuels -- thus drawing a future powered by clean energy nearer. We are hopeful that this would lead to residents of this island we call home fully benefiting from clean, affordable, and reliable energy from renewables. Indeed, we do not live up to our name as the "Renewable Energy Capital" of the country if we do not make this happen.
The passage of this ordinance is only the beginning. Before us lies now the more difficult aspect of policy development–implementation. This starts with the convening of the Renewable Energy Executive Committee and Renewable Energy Council and the formulation of the Energy Transition Plan. May the Committee and Council be granted the strength to perform their duties with competence and zeal! I know and trust that they will endeavor to change minds and move hearts into action towards the protection of our common home.
In the passing of this ordinance, our dear local leaders have taken on our beloved Pope Francis’s challenge to public officials in the encyclical Laudato Si’ -- “to uphold high principles and think of the long-term common good” (LS 178).
As we now also enter the heated elections season, let us hope and pray that more of our current and aspiring public servants all over the country also embark on the journey to be even more courageous, attest to their God-given dignity, and leave behind a testimony of selfless responsibility (LS 181). Padayon!