PMCJ to MERALCO: Drop coal expansion plan in Toledo, heed Cebuanos call to phaseout fossil fuels, keep up with Ayala
- Media Communications
- Jan 4
- 3 min read
Quezon City, Philippines — The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) stresses its opposition to Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen)'s planned expansion of the Toledo Power Corp. (TPC) coal plant. Right after the New Year’s, MGen announced that most of their 2026 capital expenditures will be directed to its coal project in Toledo, Cebu.
Communities in Cebu have long been fighting against the existing 82-Megawatt coal-fired power plant operated by TPC. The facilities have been linked to documented environmental harms and negative impacts on residents' health and livelihood.
“The TPC plant is listed as an environmental critical project (ECP) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Although the DENR issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) to the TPC plant, residents claimed that there is no copy of the ECC in any conspicuous location of the project site, as required by the law,” said Estela Vasquez, Visayas coordinator of PMCJ.
Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) show that the TPC plant releases an estimated annual emission of 496 kilograms (kg) of sulfur dioxide, 349 kg of nitrogen oxides, 69 kg of particulate matter, and 5.6 kg of mercury per acre. These pollutants cause a range of health issues, even in small doses, and especially to vulnerable groups like pregnant women, children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions. TPC should also comply with the health impact assessment (HIA) process to acquire HIA certification, said Vasquez.
“TPC coal plant has made us sick, displaced us from our homes, and destroyed our livelihood for years. We have raised our concerns time and again, but it remains ignored and unchanged. Now our situation has only gotten worse. The plant’s toxic discharges flow directly into the Tañon Strait, the largest marine protected area in the country. This only brings poison and destroys the waters we rely on. Before the TPC plant, we used to catch 20 tubs of fish. Now, a bucket of fish is considered a stroke of luck,” said Florencia Abatayo, a Toledo resident.
Given the environmental, health, and outage issues of the current TPC operating plant, the capitalization plan for the expansion is riskier, according to Ian Rivera, national coordinator of PMCJ. He also added that without investors and offtakers, it will definitely be subject to market and regulatory risks.
“MGen refuses to learn and wants to fail. Their Atimonan One Energy (A1E) project in Quezon has been delayed since 2019 due to unresolved legal and environmental issues. Like A1E, TPC is covered by the coal moratorium. Pursuing the expansion through the infusion of one billion pesos in capital will not erase the project's unbankability. Meralco should ride on the crest of expanding renewables in the Philippines as clean energy is driving coal’s decline in the Philippines,” Rivera said.
Meanwhile, the people’s stronghold has proven stronger than profits. After years of resistance and a month of receiving the PMCJ and Batangas communities' letter urging Ayala Corp. to withdraw from a fossil gas project, the latter heeded the peoples' call and disclosed its discontinuation. This is proof that big corporations cannot act with impunity and treat the climate and the people as expendable.
“Big businesses should not only consider the people and environment’s well-being but also respond to their sound calls and resolutions. The people and the planet are living on the edge. We can only do so much by hastening our country’s shift to renewables, in line with the global call to triple RE by 2030. Now is the time to veer away from fossil fuels. Start the year right, once and for all,” Rivera ended. ###
FOR INQUIRIES:
Sheila Abarra
Senior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
Viber: +639916692356
WhatsApp: +639380898327
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