Statement on the public launching of #WagGas

During the launching of #WagGas on April 20, 2023, Bishop Alminaza, one of the six speakers, read the following statement in front of the media and environmental organizations who attended:

#WagGas

BATANGAS DECLARATION: A UNITED STAND AGAINST FOSSIL GAS EXPANSION IN THE PHILIPPINES

For a Sustainable Future and 100% Renewable Energy for All

WE, delegates of the National Gathering of Fossil Gas-Affected Communities and support groups, representing communities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao; people's and non-governmental organizations, fisherfolk, civic and environmental movements, faith-based organizations and institutions, labor groups, consumers, women, and youth hereby declare:

WHEREAS the Philippines is a country endowed with bountiful resources that are more than capable of powering a sustainable future while providing sustenance needed by our people.

WHEREAS in his first State of the Nation Address, President Bongbong Marcos ordered the prioritization of upstream and midstream development of natural gas as interim in the development of renewables - premised on the misconception that it is a clean energy source. Natural gas is a fossil fuel  that is no less a culprit to the climate crisis than coal or oil. It is mainly composed of and emits methane in every stage of its value chain, and releases other greenhouse gases to the detriment of our global climate systems.

WHEREAS if viewed in over 10- to 20-year time scales, methane and other short-lived greenhouse gases influence global warming at least as much as carbon dioxide. To keep more catastrophic climate change at bay, no new gas fields, where more natural gas is expected to be extracted from the sea bed, must be approved for development beyond 2021. There is no room for compromises in climate action, indeed, and as His Holiness Pope Francis writes in Laudato Si: "the problem is aggravated by a model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the worldwide energy system." "We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels... needs to be progressively replaced without delay."

WHEREAS renewable energy has become increasingly viable and cost-competitive in recent years, turning affordable yet sustainable energy much more within reach of every Filipino household; Now, therefore:

WE UNITE behind the understanding that fossil gas places the well-being of communities, our environment, and our society in peril, and now show our solidarity in resisting its expansion.

WE DECRY the massive expansion of natural gas in the country, which goes against the Philippines' best interests as a megadiverse yet a climate-vulnerable nation. From the existing 3.4 GW gas capacity in the pipeline booms to 37.95 GW from 34 new projects, with 11 new liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminals in the works.

WE HEED the global call to unite in the battle against the existential threat of climate change and for the phase out of materials and processes that trigger rising global temperatures, foremost of which are the use of fossil fuels - be it coal or gas - in power generation.

WE DEMAND that the Philippine Government, with the President, Congress, and Department of Energy at the helm, halt its efforts to expand our dependence on gas and work instead for massive deployment of renewable energy.

WE CALL for the protection of our coasts and marine ecosystems on which communities' lives and livelihoods depend. Gas-fired plants and LNG terminals are places beside our oceans, seas and large bodies of water to use for their cooling system, or to receive imported LNG from tankers. Sedimentation and siltation resulting from land clearing, the irreversible damage to marine habitats caused by mangrove clearing and reclamation, the discharge of warmer waters used for the cooling of the operating gas-fired power plants are but some of the threats that the fossil gas industry poses to our valued marine ecologies. Seven proposed fossil gas projects and eight LNG terminals will be sited in Batangas, which is part of the Verde Island Passage (VIP). VIP is the center of the center of the world's marine shorefish biodiversity and touted as the Amazon of the Oceans. We are concerned that gas sites across the country mirror the devastation wreaked along the VIP. Harassment, deception, and pressures faced by communities, often colored by false assurances of progress and development, are also realities that cannot be ignored. Already suffering from climate and economic challenges, the gas industry adds on the burdens shouldered by frontline communities.

WE DEMAND for a halt to fossil gas projects proposed in Batangas and elsewhere in the country, which trigger pollution and cause destruction in sites hosting them. A recent study, for example, exposes the reality that several pollutants have reached unsafe levels in the waters of a fossil gas-exposed portion of the Verde Island Passage, yet no clear policy exists to protect VIP from further contamination. Authorities responsible for safeguarding the environment and people dependent on it for their living and sustenance, foremost of which is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local government units (LGUs), must implement the strictest standards in preserving the integrity of Creation, with clear accounting and reporting on the health of the bounty of nature.

WE URGE for the Department of Energy (DoE) and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to protect consumers from unconscionable power rates resulting from Malampaya Gas Field restrictions and expensive imported alternative fuels, and to stop peddling LNG as a solution to power woes. The Russia-Ukraine war has also triggered new highs in gas prices. Operating plants burning local gas continue to charge consumers with volatile and expensive rates thanks to pass-on provisions. Amid theses failings, fossil gas and all fossil fuels also fall short in the promise of providing reliable and accessible energy, as various communities across the Philippines also continue to be plagued by outages or lack of electrification. Meanwhile, our abundant renewable potential proves capable of meeting needs while sparing our coasts and oceans from degradation. The recent Green Energy Auction Program yielded as low as less than 4 Php/kWh price for solar. Renewables are also more readily deployable, with projects coming into operation quicker than the time it takes to construct a gas power plant.

WE URGE all Filipinos to unite for a sustainably powered future and fight fossil gas, which is threatening a detour in the country's climate commitments. The years of relentless and unified resistance against coal should remind and inspire us that even a mammoth industry can topple against the collective power of the people.

WE CALL on all Southeast Asian peoples confronted with the massive expansion of fossil gas projects to stand in solidarity in ending fossil fuels. Much like the anti-coal fight, the opposition against gas is a battle waged beyond the Philippines.

WE DEMAND for the National Government to take on the most ambitious goal of achieving 100% renewable energy mix most urgently, recognizing that only renewables can genuinely offer clean, affordable, and accessible energy for the people.

KEEP FOSSIL GAS OFF OUR COASTS!

Signed this 25th day of August 2022 at the Capuchin Retreat Center, Lipa City, Philippines