Green Advocates to Duterte: Correct Aquinos environmental errors

Civil Society demands Duterte to follow through with promises on the environment
A coalition of environmental groups urged President-elect Rodrigo Roa Duterte to begin
correcting the past administrations shortcomings regarding environmental issues in the first 100 days of
his presidency.
Member organizations of the Green Thumb Coalition demanded that Duterte must distinguish his
government from the Aquino government by prioritizing grassroots communities, ethnic groups and
marginalized sectors in dealing with the various environmental problems the country is going through.
Sanlakas, among the major organizations, highlighted that among the objectives of the Green
Thumb election-based campaign was to get the commitments of national and local politicians regarding
thematic issues of the environment.
President-elect Duterte was one of the few presidential candidates with whom the coalition
conducted a dialogue with, said Atty. Aaron Pedrosa, Secretary-General of Sanlakas. And while there
have been some problematic and vague answers on key issues, we maintain that if the former Davao City
Mayor would invite and maintain participation from progressive groups, favorable changes may benefit
the Filipino people, particularly those affected by environmental destruction and catastrophes.
Demands carried by member organizations of the campaign include: preserving biodiversity and
the integrity of the ecosystem; people-oriented natural resource and land use management and
governance; upholding Human rights and integrity of creation; promoting climate justice and peoplecentered rehabilitation and adaptation; alternative mining, extractives and mineral resource management;
energy transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy and democracy; sustainable policies on food
sovereignty and; people-centered sustainable development.
The first 100 days of the Duterte administration is a crucial time when his sincerity towards
issues of the environment and the people will be measured, said Pedrosa. In the issue of mining, for
example, the country-wide epidemic of unregulated, hazardous and environmentally-destructive mining
operations has gone long enough, and Duterte has professed that he will respond to this, he added.
An immediate moratorium on all large-scale mining operations in the country has been time and
again demanded by people of mining-affected areas such as Semirara, and Sta. Cruz, Zambales. The
passage of the Alternative Minerals Management Bill is also necessary to create new regulations and
avenues to maximize the gains of the mining and extractive sector while maintaining the quality of life and
livelihood among mining-affected communities, Pedrosa stated.
Meanwhile, Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED) Convenor Gerry Arances
emphasized that a comprehensive Renewable Energy transition plan is needed to ensure a cleaner,
cheaper, more sustainable and accessible energy system for majority of the Filipinos.
As President, Duterte must lead the just transition from a coal-dependent path the Aquino
administration has set out for the country, Arances said. "If we look at all the approved power projects in
the pipeline right now, we can scientifically say that 70% of power projects to go online in 2019 will be
from coal, which would also mean that by 2021, the overall dependence to coal will be at 50% as
compared to 39% in 2016," Arances said.

Arances compared this to the decreasing share of Renewable Energy in the power mix. "This
also means that RE input in the power mix will be 29% in 2016 and around 24% in 2021. In the time that
we were passing the Renewable Energy Law in 2009, the RE component in the overall power mix is at
34%, even higher than the share that we have now. This is ironic and unacceptable," Arances stated.
Arances emphasized that the bankruptcy of Peabody, one of the largest investors in coal and the
transition of most developed countries from fossil fuels to renewable energy are signs that the next
government should discourage investments on coal, not encouraging it.
The reality is that the untapped renewable energy potential of our country should be able to
provide for Filipinos, while justly transitioning from the use of fossil fuels, especially coal, said Arances.
Instead of calls for investment, a moratorium on all new coal plant projects should be issued by the
government. This should be a challenge addressed to the next administration as well, with our professed
INDC commitments to curb emissions and the Paris Agreement on the climate upon which the Philippines
has signed."
Atty. Pedrosa also highlighted the qualifications which must be considered in Dutertes selection
of cabinet members, specifically the Energy and Environment Secretaries. Secretaries from these crucial
positions must not be beholden to or come from the businesses they will supposedly regulate, said
Pedrosa. We have, under the Aquino administration, suffered much from the likes of DOE Secretary
Petilla and DENR Secretary Paje, who have repeatedly turned a blind eye on the demands of the people.
Pedrosa encouraged the President-elect to capitalize on the large mandate he garnered during
the elections to create bold, decisive changes in the government, specifically on energy and the
environment.
If Duterte means what he says in saying that change is coming, he must start with changing the
orientation of the government, said Pedrosa. We know that corporate influence drives much of
governance in this country, but with the overwhelming popularity of this President-elect, it will be a shame
if this does not yield meaningful policies and reforms, even at the expense of big businesses.