Members of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) Cebu held a rally near the Fuente Osmeña rotunda in Cebu City on Earth Day 2022. | Photo Courtesy of PMCJ
CEBU CITY, Philippines — “Destroyers of Mother Earth.”
This is what members of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) Cebu called Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama in a protest rally held on Earth Day, April 22, 2022.
Both officials, the group said, support the establishment of Waste to Energy (WTE) incineration facilities here that would destroy Cebu’s natural environment.
“This is for pursuing and/or supporting dirty energy projects such as coal-fired power plants that harm the environment and pose significant risk to public health. Both officials are also in favor of the establishment of waste to energy (WTE) incinerators where trash are burned producing more greenhouse gases that aggravate global warming,” PMCJ Cebu said in a statement.
“Natural resource extraction continues unabated as long as parties involved provide a share of the proceeds to host LGUs (local government units), posing a continuing threat to the life of poor communities who are most affected by landslides, floods, and other disasters,” it added.
Members of the environmental group conducted a 30-minute rally near the Fuente Osmeña Circle on Friday, April 22, with hopes that they would be heard by the chief executives of Cebu Province and Cebu City.
They said that progress should not compromise environmental protection.
For PMCJ Cebu, progress and environmental protection must go “hand in hand” in order to ensure a sustainable community for future generations.
Teddy Navea, the group’s spokesperson, said Garcia and Rama need to rethink their plan to have a WTE facility here and reassess how garbage should be managed.
Navea said they are looking forward to seeing “more sustainable solutions” set in place.
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