Mindoro Occidental bares climate woes, expresses interest in RE transition

Media Communications
Jul 23
3 min read

Quezon City, Philippines — The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) met with Mindoro Occidental Governor Eduardo Gadiano on July 14, 2025 where he expressed his concern for the effects of climate change in his province as well as eagerly showed interest in fully transitioning the province away from fossil fuels to renewable energy (RE).

PMCJ Senior RE Officer Edwin Tesaluna stated that the governor’s interest in RE is a promising development for the province, which has been experiencing an electricity crisis since 2023, characterized by prolonged blackouts lasting around 20 hours.

“Just earlier this year, residents and government officials alike complained about extremely and unreasonably high electricity prices, even after the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said that the power crisis in the province had been resolved. Powered by expensive and unreliable fossil fuels, this crisis will continue to plague the people of Mindoro if band-aid solutions are insisted upon.”

Earlier this year, the Municipality of Sablayan in Mindoro Occidental committed to a total energy shift to renewables by 2030. Gadiano looked to follow suit, with the pressing need of Occidental Mindoro’s energy stability as a priority. He added that he was convincing his constituents during the outages last year to invest in solar panels if they had the means, as it was a reliable source of power.

Tesaluna added that multiple provinces, municipalities, and towns in the country have expressed support for the shift to renewable energy. Notably, Albay hosted a successful renewable energy forum last year, gathering USD 84 billion worth of renewable energy investments.

Ian Rivera, PMCJ National Coordinator, stated that Mindoro Occidental has great potential to become one of the leading promoters of renewable energy in the nation.

“Occidental Mindoro passed a resolution in 2019 prohibiting coal-fired power plants in the province. This is before the existing nationwide coal moratorium was passed in 2020. In this resolution, the province also laid out their intent to implement measures for a renewable energy program,” Rivera said.

Rivera added that renewable energy’s relatively cheaper and safer production will help stabilize the province's energy needs. He further stated that Sablayan’s commitment earlier this year with PMCJ sets an example and sends a message to communities vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, showing that solutions are available and can work more effectively if more are committed to the transition.

Gadiano, showing footage of flooding in San Jose during heavy rain, also expressed his concern regarding the impacts of the climate crisis in his province.

Less than a week later, the monsoon-intensified rains and Tropical Storm Crising brought rains that submerged various towns in the province, prompting hundreds of families to evacuate their homes.

Tesaluna highlighted that burning fossil fuels for energy is the primary source of emissions worldwide. He added that these emissions, which cause the rapid rise in global temperature, are the same catalysts that contribute to the extreme weather phenomena we experience with every storm.

“There is a great, inescapable need for a massive change in the system to once and for all nip all these problems in the bud. If we are to address the profit-driven electric crisis driven by greed and the flooding that submerges Mindoro Occidental and its people, we need to address the profit-prioritizing capitalist system that enables and encourages these problems to thrive,” Rivera ended.###

#SablayanForClimateJustice #MindoroOccidentalForClimateJustice #JustTranstionNow #ClimateJusticeNow