PMCJ, Diocese of Alaminos town in Pangasinan ink agreement to promote just transition to clean energy
- Media Communications
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
Quezon City, Philippines — In response to the pressing concerns brought by the raging climate crisis, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) and Save Sual Movement (SSM) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Diocese of Alaminos in Pangasinan on Oct. 3, 2025 to raise awareness and spread information in parishes and communities about the climate crisis and its progressively worsening effects.
“The MOA is a foundational document that transforms an intention to protect the environment into a structured, actionable plan. The MOA signing for environmental protection is a significant and necessary step toward translating our shared vision into coordinated action. Its ultimate impact, however, relies heavily on the commitment, clear definition of terms, and rigorous follow-through of the participating parties,” said Rosanna Marie Soriano, president of SSM.
Under the agreement, PMCJ, SSM, and the Diocese of Alaminos are set to promote clean and renewable energy in place of using dirty, deadly, and costly fossil fuels like coal, oil, and fossil gas, which are known to be the greatest contributors of carbon emissions and significantly contribute to global warming.
The province of Pangasinan is home to a 1,200-megawatt (MW) coal plant located in Sual, the largest coal-fired power plant in the country in terms of installed capacity. Like every other coal-affected community, the people of Pangasinan suffer from negative health and livelihood problems due to the dirty project.
“This agreement is as timely as it is necessary. The Province of Pangasinan has noticeably been struggling with issues of flooding connected to climate crisis-intensified weather phenomena which are brought about by the insistent use of these fossil fuels to profit from energy generation,” said Ian Rivera, PMCJ national coordinator.
Just this past series of storms in the month of September 2025, the Province of Pangasinan incurred damages of 105.4 million pesos in partial estimates, affecting the lives and livelihood of the people in Pangasinan, including hundreds of evacuated families, hectares of flooded rice fields, and overflowed fishponds.
“The coal plant also directly puts health and safety risks to the people of Sual. A study found that fly ash produced from the Sual coal plant, along with Mauban and Masinloc coal plants, contains toxic and potentially toxic chemicals. If such things have continued over the years, the health conditions of the people of Sual are in grave danger,” Rivera stressed.
Aside from promoting clean energy, PMCJ and SSM are also set to provide training and educational campaigns to inform the people of Alaminos about the state of the climate crisis, the climate emergency, and the urgent need for a just and equitable transition to clean and renewable energy.
Meanwhile, the Church agreed to develop programs responding to the effects of the climate crisis, with the priority of securing the well-being of its parishioners and the most vulnerable in its communities. ###
FOR INQUIRIES:
Christian John P. Argallon
Junior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
Sheila Abarra
Senior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
Viber: +639916692356
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