THE Philippine Catholic church and climate activists have continued their campaign against fossil fuel projects in the country, which according to them, are "causing the imminent catastrophe that is staring humanity in the face, by way of record-breaking heat, floods and other calamities."
“As a church, we stand in solidarity with the coal-affected communities who are suffering from the devastating impacts of coal-fired power plants. We believe that this is a matter of life and death, and we cannot simply stand by and watch our community suffer,” said Reverend Father Warren Puno, the director of Ministry of Ecology- Lucena and regional coordinator of South Luzon Eco-Convergence Hub of Caritas Philippines.
“We have filed a complaint with the World Bank because we believe that the Bank has a responsibility to ensure that its investments do not harm local communities. We are pushing for remedies for all coal-affected communities, including compensation for damages, healthcare support, and a just transition to clean energy,” Puno said in a report from Catholic news site UCA News.
Puno's statement came after the International Monetary Fund and World Bank also held their annual meetings, which tackled debt relief and climate finance, among other issues, in Washington DC, USA last week.
As giant financing institutions continued to launch public financing for fossil fuel projects, the Catholic church and climate advocates have remained relentless in their campaign.
“We will exhaust all means of remedy to help our people. We urge the World Bank to take immediate action to address the suffering caused by coal-fired power plants and to support a just transition to a clean energy future,” Puno added.
Lawyer Aaron Pedrosa, lead counsel for the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, maintained that “if the WB is serious about building a livable planet, it must end all direct and indirect financing of fossil fuels.”
“WB and the International Finance Corporation must pursue the long overdue end game for fossil fuel finance. At the same time, it must deliver remedies for all communities affected by its coal-funded projects in the Philippines,” said Pedrosa, who traveled to Washington DC himself to join in a demonstration rally against the IMF-WB on April 19.
In the country alone, Pedrosa told Sunstar Philippines they filed a complaint involving the 19 coal projects.
Meanwhile, Filipino climate activists held another round of protest action in front of the Japanese Embassy on April 24 to urge the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to also end its financing of fossil fuel projects in Southeast Asia.
“Despite public commitments to achieving net-zero emissions, JBIC remains a significant financier of fossil gas expansion in Asia, particularly in Southeast Asia,” said Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, in a statement.
Citing a report by the Center for Energy, Environment and Development (CEED), APMDD said JBIC "is the region's biggest lender for Japanese fossil fuels, investing an estimated $3.3 billion in projects."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that all fossil fuel infrastructure - whether existing or still being planned - are expected to emit enough carbon dioxide to cause global temperature to rise over 1.5°C, according to APMDD.
However, in its March 2024 statement published on its website, JBIC maintained that it "will proactively contribute toward fostering global sustainable development and resolving global challenges to ensure the realization of sustainable societies by actively supporting initiatives that promote decarbonization and the Sustainable Development Goals." (Ronald O. Reyes/SunStar Philippines)