rhadamantus
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Gen San, the Darkside
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Gen San Chris
Contributor
Things are now starting to happen here around the site of the Power Station, the latest is that the advanced party for the Complete Battalion of Infantry are starting to set up camp right next to the site! Someone very important must be involved if a Battalion of Soldiers can be freed from hunting bad guys to protecting a building site!
There is no fresh water for them, no baths and no toilets, this can only be good for the area! I don't think!
There is no fresh water for them, no baths and no toilets, this can only be good for the area! I don't think!
World Wide Diver
Contributor
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22 March 2009.....
CORAL REEFS The ÅÓainforests of the sea, according to environmentalists are the most diverse, the most beautiful, and the richest of all marine habitats. They serve as natural barriers, protecting shorelines and reducing erosion from the vicious pounding of waves and storms.
But only a few people are paying attention to the coral reefs protection and preservation despite their vital role in the marine ecosystem, according to Reef Check, the worldÃÔ largest reef conservation organization.
In its September 2007 report, the Reef Check found that only five percent of the coral reefs in the Philippines the second largest in Asia were in ÅÆxcellent condition. These were the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park in Palawan, Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Apo Reef off Puerto Galera town in Mindoro, and the Verde Island Passage off Batangas.
Add Sarangani Bay to the other reefs where wanton destruction has remained unchecked. Although then President Fidel V. Ramos declared Sarangani Bay a protected seascape in 1996, divers claimed that more than half of the coral reefs in its 230-kilometer coastline were not just in bad shape but were almost wiped out.
Barely surviving
Chris Dearne, an English dive instructor, reveals that only the coral reefs in the western part of the bay, from the coastal village of Bawing in General Santos City up to Maitum town in Sarangani, are still intact.
From the shores of Tambler village in General Santos going eastward to the towns of Alabel, Malapatan and Glan in Sarangani, only small patches or about 10 percent of the reefs are barely surviving.
Recently, Dearne and other diving enthusiasts checked the status of the coral reefs.
ŵhe eastern side has been the hardest hit as pesticides, chemicals and pollutants from the farming and industrial communities found its way into the bay, he says. Unless these harmful activities are stopped, he says, it may just be a waste of time to try to rehabilitate the damaged reefs.
Dearne further notes that siltation caused by unabated cutting of trees in the mountains of Alabel and Malapatan for lumber and charcoal production has been wreaking havoc on the coral reef off Alabel. This was exacerbated by the presence of aquaculture farms.
ŵhousands of fish and shrimps contained in land-based and floating fish cages undergoing rapid growth treatments all have to go to the bathroom on a regular basis, thus creating an excess of nutrients in the water causing algae to bloom and cover the corals, Dearne says.
Illegal fishing
During several dive outings, Dearne, who owns the Tuna City Scuba Center and Cambridge Farm-Hotel in General Santos, and John Heitz, an American businessman engaged in tuna export, noticed that illegal fishing methods had damaged the reefs in the western side of the bay.
Since government agencies and the people tasked with protecting the delicate marine environment were not doing anything to check the reef destruction, Dearne and Heitz thought of a private-sector initiative to save the reefs. Thus, the idea of an artificial reef dome was spawned.
On April 1, 2005, the man-made reef dome named Ťambridge was built. The Mushroom, Fish Port, Makar and other artificial structures followed, differing in size, shape and design.
Each dome, made from locally available materials, such as cement, steel bars, sand and gravel, bamboo slats, oil and wire, cost only about P200.
With the help of local divers, Dearne set up the first five Reef Domes off Maharlika Beach Resort in Bawing, General Santos, on April 17, 2005. The resort is also used by the Englishman for his dive training.
Å°nce a dome is installed on a damaged or barren section of a reef, it acts as a stable platform for free floating organisms to attach themselves and after just a short period of time, tiny marine creatures will start to grow on its surface, Dearne said.
Holes in the structure allow fish and other marine creatures to seek sanctuary from predators.
5,000 manmade domes
In three years, Dearne and Heitz, along with other divers and sponsors, deployed 5,000 artificial reef domes in 20 areas in the western coast of the bay. The project was completed in August last year, but maintenance and monitoring dives continued.
Dearne says the project cost around nearly P1 million, excluding expenses for work dives and diving gear, transport and documentation. ŵhe total amount would at least be double or more, he says.
The project completion report noted that ÅÐn occasions, within the first 24 hours of deployment, the clean surfaces of the reef domes have been covered with fish eggs. Many reef domes have resident lion fish or moray eels, which use the reef domes as traps to catch smaller prey fish.Æû/p> Right now, Dearne says, several corals are naturally-growing on submerged domes.
Ůany varieties of soft coral colonize the reef domes along with barnacles and other types of permanent shelled organisms. We actually thought that it would take many years for hard corals to show themselves. We were very surprised to see that it only took less than nine months or so for these hard corals to start to show their true form, Dearne says.
In one site in Takut Tabo in Bawing, coral growth was faster with huge Acropora corals covering many reef domes, he says.
The divers observed that fish populations had dramatically increased in Sarangani Bay. They suggested that fishermen should go back to the traditional ÅÉook-and-line method instead of using fine-meshed net.
Bigger threat looms
Harmful fishing practices, along with climate change, are threatening the residual coral reefs and artificial reef domes. Local governments around the bay are now rallying behind the project and strictly implementing fisheries and environmental laws.
A few years ago, the provincial board adopted a resolution declaring persona non grata a certain Ma. Theresa Garay, a city employee involved in the Ŭagandahan Gensan project, for illegally collecting corals from Tinoto Beach in Maasim. Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. suspended Garay for one month to show that he was not condoning any wrongdoing of his employees.
Sarangani has since projected an image of a no-nonsense protector of the environment. It has launched the Sarangani Bay Festival to raise peopleÃÔ awareness about the utmost importance of conserving the bay.
Now comes another challenge to the province with the construction of a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant.
Dearne and Heitz fear that the $450-million Kamanga Power Plant (KPP), once it operates, will inflict extensive damage not just on the coral reefs and dive sites but also on the environment and public health.
Officials of Conal Holdings Corp. (CHC), the main proponent, however, say that the company would employ the circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) process, considered the ÅÎost efficient and cleanest among available coal-powered plant technologies in the industry today.
In a statement, Joseph Nocos, CHC vice president for business development, said that the company would embark on a ÅÎassive planting of trees in a 10,000-hectare land identified as a carbon sink.
Aquaculture farms
Heitz, a former US Peace Corps volunteer, told Conal Holdings to leave the diving sites alone and find another place for its plant. Dearne dared the company to put up the facility side by side with the sprawling aquamarine farms of the Alcantara family in Alabel if it believes that it is ÅÓeally environmentally safe.Æû/p> The Alcantaras are among the shareholders of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) that is exploring for copper and gold deposits in the mountains of Tampakan, and Sultan Mining & Energy Development Corp., which is engaged in coal exploration in the hinterland of Lake Sebu town, all in South Cotabato.
Sarangani Governor Miguel Dominguez, a scion of the Alcantaras, has expressed full support for the coal-fired plant.
ŵhe Kamanga Power Plant is primarily intended to serve the power requirements of mining projects in the region, not for households, Heitz says.
He likens the coal-fired plant to a car, saying ÅÕhere can be no smoke emission, but itÃÔ still releasing gaseous substance into the environment.Æû/p> He challenges the power industry players to tap renewable energy sources instead.
CORAL REEFS The ÅÓainforests of the sea, according to environmentalists are the most diverse, the most beautiful, and the richest of all marine habitats. They serve as natural barriers, protecting shorelines and reducing erosion from the vicious pounding of waves and storms.
But only a few people are paying attention to the coral reefs protection and preservation despite their vital role in the marine ecosystem, according to Reef Check, the worldÃÔ largest reef conservation organization.
In its September 2007 report, the Reef Check found that only five percent of the coral reefs in the Philippines the second largest in Asia were in ÅÆxcellent condition. These were the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park in Palawan, Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Apo Reef off Puerto Galera town in Mindoro, and the Verde Island Passage off Batangas.
Add Sarangani Bay to the other reefs where wanton destruction has remained unchecked. Although then President Fidel V. Ramos declared Sarangani Bay a protected seascape in 1996, divers claimed that more than half of the coral reefs in its 230-kilometer coastline were not just in bad shape but were almost wiped out.
Barely surviving
Chris Dearne, an English dive instructor, reveals that only the coral reefs in the western part of the bay, from the coastal village of Bawing in General Santos City up to Maitum town in Sarangani, are still intact.
From the shores of Tambler village in General Santos going eastward to the towns of Alabel, Malapatan and Glan in Sarangani, only small patches or about 10 percent of the reefs are barely surviving.
Recently, Dearne and other diving enthusiasts checked the status of the coral reefs.
ŵhe eastern side has been the hardest hit as pesticides, chemicals and pollutants from the farming and industrial communities found its way into the bay, he says. Unless these harmful activities are stopped, he says, it may just be a waste of time to try to rehabilitate the damaged reefs.
Dearne further notes that siltation caused by unabated cutting of trees in the mountains of Alabel and Malapatan for lumber and charcoal production has been wreaking havoc on the coral reef off Alabel. This was exacerbated by the presence of aquaculture farms.
ŵhousands of fish and shrimps contained in land-based and floating fish cages undergoing rapid growth treatments all have to go to the bathroom on a regular basis, thus creating an excess of nutrients in the water causing algae to bloom and cover the corals, Dearne says.
Illegal fishing
During several dive outings, Dearne, who owns the Tuna City Scuba Center and Cambridge Farm-Hotel in General Santos, and John Heitz, an American businessman engaged in tuna export, noticed that illegal fishing methods had damaged the reefs in the western side of the bay.
Since government agencies and the people tasked with protecting the delicate marine environment were not doing anything to check the reef destruction, Dearne and Heitz thought of a private-sector initiative to save the reefs. Thus, the idea of an artificial reef dome was spawned.
On April 1, 2005, the man-made reef dome named Ťambridge was built. The Mushroom, Fish Port, Makar and other artificial structures followed, differing in size, shape and design.
Each dome, made from locally available materials, such as cement, steel bars, sand and gravel, bamboo slats, oil and wire, cost only about P200.
With the help of local divers, Dearne set up the first five Reef Domes off Maharlika Beach Resort in Bawing, General Santos, on April 17, 2005. The resort is also used by the Englishman for his dive training.
Å°nce a dome is installed on a damaged or barren section of a reef, it acts as a stable platform for free floating organisms to attach themselves and after just a short period of time, tiny marine creatures will start to grow on its surface, Dearne said.
Holes in the structure allow fish and other marine creatures to seek sanctuary from predators.
5,000 manmade domes
In three years, Dearne and Heitz, along with other divers and sponsors, deployed 5,000 artificial reef domes in 20 areas in the western coast of the bay. The project was completed in August last year, but maintenance and monitoring dives continued.
Dearne says the project cost around nearly P1 million, excluding expenses for work dives and diving gear, transport and documentation. ŵhe total amount would at least be double or more, he says.
The project completion report noted that ÅÐn occasions, within the first 24 hours of deployment, the clean surfaces of the reef domes have been covered with fish eggs. Many reef domes have resident lion fish or moray eels, which use the reef domes as traps to catch smaller prey fish.Æû/p> Right now, Dearne says, several corals are naturally-growing on submerged domes.
Ůany varieties of soft coral colonize the reef domes along with barnacles and other types of permanent shelled organisms. We actually thought that it would take many years for hard corals to show themselves. We were very surprised to see that it only took less than nine months or so for these hard corals to start to show their true form, Dearne says.
In one site in Takut Tabo in Bawing, coral growth was faster with huge Acropora corals covering many reef domes, he says.
The divers observed that fish populations had dramatically increased in Sarangani Bay. They suggested that fishermen should go back to the traditional ÅÉook-and-line method instead of using fine-meshed net.
Bigger threat looms
Harmful fishing practices, along with climate change, are threatening the residual coral reefs and artificial reef domes. Local governments around the bay are now rallying behind the project and strictly implementing fisheries and environmental laws.
A few years ago, the provincial board adopted a resolution declaring persona non grata a certain Ma. Theresa Garay, a city employee involved in the Ŭagandahan Gensan project, for illegally collecting corals from Tinoto Beach in Maasim. Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. suspended Garay for one month to show that he was not condoning any wrongdoing of his employees.
Sarangani has since projected an image of a no-nonsense protector of the environment. It has launched the Sarangani Bay Festival to raise peopleÃÔ awareness about the utmost importance of conserving the bay.
Now comes another challenge to the province with the construction of a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant.
Dearne and Heitz fear that the $450-million Kamanga Power Plant (KPP), once it operates, will inflict extensive damage not just on the coral reefs and dive sites but also on the environment and public health.
Officials of Conal Holdings Corp. (CHC), the main proponent, however, say that the company would employ the circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) process, considered the ÅÎost efficient and cleanest among available coal-powered plant technologies in the industry today.
In a statement, Joseph Nocos, CHC vice president for business development, said that the company would embark on a ÅÎassive planting of trees in a 10,000-hectare land identified as a carbon sink.
Aquaculture farms
Heitz, a former US Peace Corps volunteer, told Conal Holdings to leave the diving sites alone and find another place for its plant. Dearne dared the company to put up the facility side by side with the sprawling aquamarine farms of the Alcantara family in Alabel if it believes that it is ÅÓeally environmentally safe.Æû/p> The Alcantaras are among the shareholders of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) that is exploring for copper and gold deposits in the mountains of Tampakan, and Sultan Mining & Energy Development Corp., which is engaged in coal exploration in the hinterland of Lake Sebu town, all in South Cotabato.
Sarangani Governor Miguel Dominguez, a scion of the Alcantaras, has expressed full support for the coal-fired plant.
ŵhe Kamanga Power Plant is primarily intended to serve the power requirements of mining projects in the region, not for households, Heitz says.
He likens the coal-fired plant to a car, saying ÅÕhere can be no smoke emission, but itÃÔ still releasing gaseous substance into the environment.Æû/p> He challenges the power industry players to tap renewable energy sources instead.
World Wide Diver
Contributor
Apologies for how this article translated when cut and pasted.
The most important thing is that these people care enough to stick their necks out to protect what they care about - even though they are not native Filipinos.
I for one respect and admire Chris and John for this.
We should support them where we can.
The most important thing is that these people care enough to stick their necks out to protect what they care about - even though they are not native Filipinos.
I for one respect and admire Chris and John for this.
We should support them where we can.
World Wide Diver
Contributor
Very good article, I'm just reading it now.
World Wide Diver
Contributor
The good peoples of SOCSKSARGENDS protested in Gensan against the proposed coal power plant at Tampuan, Maasim for World Earth Day.
People really do care here. We support them and hope that their campaign succeeds; they understand that much is riding on this development being stopped for the environment, their ways of life and peace.
This area has some of the finest reefs, marine life/biodiversity in the World and many depend upon the Ocean for their livelihood. Global warming and predicted rises in sea levels are likely to affect many peoples here who live on low-lying coastal areas.
Below is a well-worded press release which says it all. Please find attached some photos from the protest.
Hope that people can support this cause.
People here truly care and want others to know this.
(Apologies if the cut and paste throws up spurious characters!!!)
Thousands join anti coal-plant protest on Earth Day, dirty energy source assailed
General Santos City ˵housands of environmental rights activists in this city and the neighboring Sarangani Province turned Earth Day celebration into an anti-coal fired power plant protest-rally at the downtown plaza yesterday.
ŵhis protest-rally is a proof of the peopleÃÔ vehement opposition to the planned coal-fired power plant in the Municipality of Maasim said Fr. Roming Catedral, director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel and main organizer of the protest.
His Excellency Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez, DD of the Diocese of Marbel also spoke in the rally and encouraged the crowd to continue opposing the project.
In a manifesto signed by various groups including church peoples, civil society and peoples organizations, academe, youth and students, farmers and fisher folks, workers, women and professionals from and nearby SOSKSARGEN areas, the protesters expressed their strong opposition to the project and call on concerned government agencies and the proponent company Conal Holdings Corporation (CHC), to abandon the plan.
Ÿe reiterate our reasons and arguments based on facts and experiences that the project will not bring sustainable development to the people of SOSKSARGEN but rather aggravate environmental degradation and will eventually pose problems to human health? the manifesto said.
The manifesto further reads that Å´outhern Mindanao Power Plant (SM200) will not serve the people of SOCSKSARGEN but will only enrich the business interest of the dominant local elite and that of Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI), holder of the multibillion Tampakan Gold and Copper project based in Tampakan, South Cotabato.
Ťonal Holdings Corporation (CHC) owns Kamanga Coal Fired Power Plant (now called Southern Mindanao Powerplant). Alson, Inc. owns the Filipino majority shares in SMI. Both companies (Conal Holdings Corporation and Alsons, Inc.) belong to the Alcantara group of companies. It is not illogical to assume that Kamanga Coal Fired Power Plant will serve the needs of SMI. CHCÃÔ plan is to eventually produce 900MW. SMI, when it starts its operation would need about 400MW Catedral added.
The protesters argued that there is no such thing as ÅÄlean coal and that <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">ÅÕhere is no such thing as clean coal technology. The technology that CONAL plans to use in its proposed CFPP called Circulating Fluidized Bed combustion Technology (CFBCT) will not yield zero carbon emissions. In fact it might release more carbon dioxide emissions since CFBCT will allow the use of low grade coal or a mixture of low grade and high grade coal or other fuel such as biomass.Æû/span>
Ťoal is the dirtiest source of energy. Coal plants emit billions of tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year that accounts to 72% of CO2 emissions from power generation and 41% of total global emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels. Coal burning also emits chemicals including Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and other Particulate Matters (PM) that are hazardous to health? Jean Marie Ferraris of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC-KsK/FoE Phils) based in Davao said.
The group warned also of wanton environmental destruction that would result from coal mining to supply the power plant needs.
Ťoal extraction to be used in the plant necessitates topsoil and vegetation removal in many areas, where surface mining will require the removal of 500-800 feet or more of elevation by blowing up these mountains using millions of pounds of explosives Catedral asserts.
Ūn our case, Conal has already entered into a supply deal with Sultan Mining and Energy Development Corp (SMEDC). SMEDC through its subsidiary MG Mining and Energy Corp. (MGMEC) and Sultan Energy Philipines Coroporation (SEPC) now holds a Coal Operating Contracts (COC) and is about to mine around 7,000 hectares of agricultural and forest lands in Brgy. Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Southern Mindanao. The area is actually part of a Protected Watershed Declaration? Catedral added.
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The potential for water pollution, according to the groups manifesto, is also alarming. Ťoal is washed and treated before it is loaded on trains, the excess water left over of which, called coal slurry or sludge are stored in open coal impoundments. Coal sludge is a mix of water, coal dust, clay and toxic chemicals such as arsenic mercury, lead, copper, and chromium. Impoundments are held in place by mining debris, making them very unstable waiting for another disasterÆû/span>
The operation of coal fired power plants and the coal mines that provide it with fuel also run counter to governmentÃÔ own avowed efforts to combat climate change the protesters asserted. Ťlimate change is everybodyÃÔ concern and should be addressed now. It is the greatest environmental threat of today where thousands have already died because of its impacts, Ferraris emphasized.
The protesters urged the government to invest and rechannel resources to the development of the countryÃÔ enormous renewable energy sources including solar and wind.
"We also urge the government to come up with a sustainable energy framework based on the principles of economic, environmental and social justice Ferraris stressed.
The same protest action will also be held today in Koronadal City to manifest their continued opposition to Minining in South Cotabao especially the Copper-Gold Project in Tampakan and coal mining in Brgy. Ned Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
Among the signatories of the manifesto include the Social Action Center, Diocese of Marbel, HESED Foundation Oblates of Notre Dame, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC-KsK/FoE-Phils), SOCSKSARGENDS AGENDA, Sta. Cruz Parish Against Pollution (SCPAP), Hublag Kontra Mina (HUKOM), Columbio Multi-Sectoral Ecology Movement (CMEM), Local Parishes, Panalipdan Youth and PAMALAKAYA
People really do care here. We support them and hope that their campaign succeeds; they understand that much is riding on this development being stopped for the environment, their ways of life and peace.
This area has some of the finest reefs, marine life/biodiversity in the World and many depend upon the Ocean for their livelihood. Global warming and predicted rises in sea levels are likely to affect many peoples here who live on low-lying coastal areas.
Below is a well-worded press release which says it all. Please find attached some photos from the protest.
Hope that people can support this cause.
People here truly care and want others to know this.
(Apologies if the cut and paste throws up spurious characters!!!)
Thousands join anti coal-plant protest on Earth Day, dirty energy source assailed
General Santos City ˵housands of environmental rights activists in this city and the neighboring Sarangani Province turned Earth Day celebration into an anti-coal fired power plant protest-rally at the downtown plaza yesterday.
ŵhis protest-rally is a proof of the peopleÃÔ vehement opposition to the planned coal-fired power plant in the Municipality of Maasim said Fr. Roming Catedral, director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel and main organizer of the protest.
His Excellency Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez, DD of the Diocese of Marbel also spoke in the rally and encouraged the crowd to continue opposing the project.
In a manifesto signed by various groups including church peoples, civil society and peoples organizations, academe, youth and students, farmers and fisher folks, workers, women and professionals from and nearby SOSKSARGEN areas, the protesters expressed their strong opposition to the project and call on concerned government agencies and the proponent company Conal Holdings Corporation (CHC), to abandon the plan.
Ÿe reiterate our reasons and arguments based on facts and experiences that the project will not bring sustainable development to the people of SOSKSARGEN but rather aggravate environmental degradation and will eventually pose problems to human health? the manifesto said.
The manifesto further reads that Å´outhern Mindanao Power Plant (SM200) will not serve the people of SOCSKSARGEN but will only enrich the business interest of the dominant local elite and that of Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI), holder of the multibillion Tampakan Gold and Copper project based in Tampakan, South Cotabato.
Ťonal Holdings Corporation (CHC) owns Kamanga Coal Fired Power Plant (now called Southern Mindanao Powerplant). Alson, Inc. owns the Filipino majority shares in SMI. Both companies (Conal Holdings Corporation and Alsons, Inc.) belong to the Alcantara group of companies. It is not illogical to assume that Kamanga Coal Fired Power Plant will serve the needs of SMI. CHCÃÔ plan is to eventually produce 900MW. SMI, when it starts its operation would need about 400MW Catedral added.
The protesters argued that there is no such thing as ÅÄlean coal and that <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">ÅÕhere is no such thing as clean coal technology. The technology that CONAL plans to use in its proposed CFPP called Circulating Fluidized Bed combustion Technology (CFBCT) will not yield zero carbon emissions. In fact it might release more carbon dioxide emissions since CFBCT will allow the use of low grade coal or a mixture of low grade and high grade coal or other fuel such as biomass.Æû/span>
Ťoal is the dirtiest source of energy. Coal plants emit billions of tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year that accounts to 72% of CO2 emissions from power generation and 41% of total global emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels. Coal burning also emits chemicals including Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and other Particulate Matters (PM) that are hazardous to health? Jean Marie Ferraris of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC-KsK/FoE Phils) based in Davao said.
The group warned also of wanton environmental destruction that would result from coal mining to supply the power plant needs.
Ťoal extraction to be used in the plant necessitates topsoil and vegetation removal in many areas, where surface mining will require the removal of 500-800 feet or more of elevation by blowing up these mountains using millions of pounds of explosives Catedral asserts.
Ūn our case, Conal has already entered into a supply deal with Sultan Mining and Energy Development Corp (SMEDC). SMEDC through its subsidiary MG Mining and Energy Corp. (MGMEC) and Sultan Energy Philipines Coroporation (SEPC) now holds a Coal Operating Contracts (COC) and is about to mine around 7,000 hectares of agricultural and forest lands in Brgy. Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Southern Mindanao. The area is actually part of a Protected Watershed Declaration? Catedral added.
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The potential for water pollution, according to the groups manifesto, is also alarming. Ťoal is washed and treated before it is loaded on trains, the excess water left over of which, called coal slurry or sludge are stored in open coal impoundments. Coal sludge is a mix of water, coal dust, clay and toxic chemicals such as arsenic mercury, lead, copper, and chromium. Impoundments are held in place by mining debris, making them very unstable waiting for another disasterÆû/span>
The operation of coal fired power plants and the coal mines that provide it with fuel also run counter to governmentÃÔ own avowed efforts to combat climate change the protesters asserted. Ťlimate change is everybodyÃÔ concern and should be addressed now. It is the greatest environmental threat of today where thousands have already died because of its impacts, Ferraris emphasized.
The protesters urged the government to invest and rechannel resources to the development of the countryÃÔ enormous renewable energy sources including solar and wind.
"We also urge the government to come up with a sustainable energy framework based on the principles of economic, environmental and social justice Ferraris stressed.
The same protest action will also be held today in Koronadal City to manifest their continued opposition to Minining in South Cotabao especially the Copper-Gold Project in Tampakan and coal mining in Brgy. Ned Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
Among the signatories of the manifesto include the Social Action Center, Diocese of Marbel, HESED Foundation Oblates of Notre Dame, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC-KsK/FoE-Phils), SOCSKSARGENDS AGENDA, Sta. Cruz Parish Against Pollution (SCPAP), Hublag Kontra Mina (HUKOM), Columbio Multi-Sectoral Ecology Movement (CMEM), Local Parishes, Panalipdan Youth and PAMALAKAYA
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