On Sunday, April 17, Baranggay Sawang Calero will be conducting a Public Hearing regarding the construction of this Coal Power Plant in their own area. Let us help the residents of Sawang Calero put a stop to this project to be built right in their very own backyards. Let us pressure the Barangay councilors and its very own captain realize that no pride, ego, extra income or promises of livelihood can replace that of the lives of the people who will be gravely affected by this.

The Cebu City Council will be deliberating whether to approve or disapprove the proposal by Ludo Power Corporation to build and operate a 300-Megawatt coal-fired power plant in the south of Cebu City. Since the proposal became known, communities around the proposed site of the project have raised concerns over the impact it will have on the health, livelihood, and overall well-being of the residents of the affected areas.

The residents of barangay Sawang Calero, Pasil, and Duljo-Fatima have been shocked to hear of the progress of the proposal and have voiced their disgust over the fact that this proposal never underwent any consultation with them from the proponents and from their barangay officials. Some residents pointed out that the announcement of the existence of the proposal was merely done through a public broadcast around the barangay and not through a barangay meeting which absolutely necessary for any project which will have a far-reaching impact on the lives of the people in the communities surrounding the facility.

The people of barangay Sawang Calero, Pasil, and Duljo-Fatima are the most important stakeholders in this proposed project; they whose lives and future will be greatly affected by this industrial project in their immediate community. Their concerns and apprehensions must be taken into consideration by Ludo Power Corp and the Cebu City Council before going further into the implementation of this proposal. It is in this light that the people of Sawang, Pasil, and Duljo-Fatima vehemently oppose the proposal by Ludo to build and operate a coal-fired power plant gob smack in the heart of their communities.

While the people are sympathetic towards the practical and economic considerations that motivates the supporters of the project, the far-reaching implications it will have on the well-being of the community around it as well as the people within Cebu City is a consideration that far outweighs the gains that are expected to be gained from this. Indeed, economists have surmised that coal-based energy is fraught with externalities far deeper than the apparent benefits that it offers. Further, the assurance from Ludo that their coal power plant will use “clean coal” technology to mitigate any negative impact on the communities surrounding the plant does nothing to abate the well-established consensus that coal will never be clean and that no existing technology can provide a 100% assurance of protection for the people whose lives will be affected by the use of coal energy; a fault which, in a public hearing, the representative of Ludo Power Corp has admitted to.

It is therefore not merely out of cynicism that the people of the three barangays have expressed their opposition to this coal plant project, but is out of their reasonable understanding of the far-reaching implications it will have on them and upon the citizens of Cebu City. The people affirm their stance that the gains from this project will never outweigh the negative impacts that it will have on the community.

It is in this light that we urge the City Government of Cebu to reject the proposal of Ludo Power Corporation to put up a coal-fired power plant in Sawang-Calero and to block any future attempts of Ludo, or any entity, to put in place facilities that threaten the overall welfare of its citizens. Further, as the City Government of Cebu affirmed during the Paris Climate Change Convention – it must prioritize a shift towards renewable energy. Doing this would allow them to keep their commitment towards clean energy.

To all the citizens of Cebu City, Cebu Province, and throughout the Philippines – we urge you to support us in our fight against unclean and hazardous forms of energy. You can do this by spreading awareness on the effects of coal energy on your social media and to your social networks. If you are part of an organization or a group, you may encourage your colleagues to release a statement of support to our cause and deplore the proposed power plant by Ludo.

The effects of coal energy on the environment, to health, to economic well-being, and to all other aspects of welfare do not only concern the people of Sawang-Calero, Duljo-Fatima, and Pasil – it also concerns all the citizens in Cebu City as well as those scattered around the country. Help us fight against this project that will destroy the lives of many.