200 join walk against coal-fired power plant
At least 200 individuals joined the #BreakFree Cebu Climate Walk in their continuous call to stop the putting up of coal-fired power plants in the country.
The walk, which began at 6a.m., started outside the gates of the Korean Electric Company (KEPCO) where hundreds of members from local environment and youth groups joined them.
The group walked despite the downpour, said Dann Diez of Seed4Com or Sustainable Energy and Enterprise Development for Communities.
Diez told CEBU DAILY NEWS that they started with 13 walkers and eventually other groups joined them along the way.
The group walked 23.5 kilometers from Naga City to Cebu City. They were bringing placards and most of them have button pins pinned on their shirts that has the printed words, “No to Coal, Quit Coal” on it.
An ambulance from the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR) also joined them and provided water and medical assistance to the participants.
The group made a turn upon reaching the entrance of the South Road Properties (SRP) in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.
They walked until they reached the SRP viaduct, where they momentarily stopped at a portion of the viaduct fronting the Ludo company.
Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, told reporters upon reaching at the Cebu City Hall that they continue to be vigilant and to look out for a possible revival of the plans to push for the putting up of a coal-fired power plant in Barangay Sawang Calero, Cebu City.
“We will never stand complacent. We continue to lobby against the coal industry. We will not rest until coal projects are stopped,” he said.
Saño said they hope they will get the same sincerity from the incoming city government officials in rejecting coal fired power plant proposals.
The current city council has rejected the proposal of Ludo Power Corp. in its plan to build a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Sawang Calero last month.
The group ended their walk in front of the Cebu City hall.
Joy Tumulak, Cebu City Traffic Operations (CCTO) operations chief, said they have estimated a total of 200 participants of the walk.
Tumulak said they offered their own vehicles to ferry some of those who were exhausted from the walk to the city hall.
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