PMCJ Newsletter | April-June 2025
In the Philippines, natural gas is seen as a bridge fuel in the Philippine Energy Plan. The recently passed Philippine Natural Gas Industry law aims to transform the country into a liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub in the Asia-Pacific region, which is not a temporary path when it comes to energy transition. Currently, a 504-kilometer pipeline is operational in the Philippines, serving the Malampaya Onshore Facilities that supply the five existing gas-fired power plants in Batangas City. The explosion in Malaysia mirrors similar dangers faced by communities living near and adjacent to these pipelines, aside from the health concerns they have already raised with government agencies.
What happened in Malaysia must be treated as a warning. These must be a wake-up call to the Asian governments that these tragic events could happen under their watch because profits are being prioritized over people and the planet. Communities are already resisting these developments, and the State must heed the people’s demand to end fossil fuels and ensure a rapid, just, and equitable transition of the energy systems.
CLIMATE JUSTICE PULSE
PMCJ Newsletter | January-March 2025
The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Global Climate Report, released this March 2025, revealed that 2024 was the first calendar year to breach the 1.5°C global temperature. The breaching resulted in various implications, as reported in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which are now experienced by many countries, especially in the Global South.​
In the first half of 2024, Southeast Asian countries have suffered extreme weather conditions, such as drought and heat waves. Among these countries, the Philippines reached the highest heat index of 53°C in Iba, Zambales, which was announced and classified by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as Extreme Danger. Neighboring regions are experiencing almost the same temperature, prolonging the period of El Niño caused by the climate crisis. This year, as early as March, the country’s heat index already reached the danger classification of PAGASA and is expected to increase in the coming months.​​
These events affected the daily lives of Southeast Asian countries, bringing limited outdoor activities, suspension of work and classes, water scarcity, rise of heat-related illnesses and deaths such as dengue, heat cramp, heatstroke, and even the explosion of military weapons.