ENVIRONMENTAL advocate, Power for People Coalition (P4P) has divulged that the Philippine government pushed for more climate finance and even joined a campaign against deforestation but didn’t pledge to stop building new coal plants in Mindanao.

“This is now certainly a welcome direction of the Philippine government,” said Gerry Arances, convenor of Power for People Coalition (P4P).

Arances said, this also after allowing the installed capacity of coal in Mindanao to rise by nearly ten times in the last decade ― from 232 MW to 2,089 MW.

As of June 11, 2021, Mindanao currently has 2,264 megawatts (MW) in installed coal capacity, including Alsons Power Group's 105-MW facility in Maasim, Sarangani, and San Miguel Corporation's Malita plant in Davao Occidental.

“The government pushed for more climate finance, but doesn’t vow to stop building new coal plants,” said Arances, adding that after the delegation led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III attended the climate summit last October 31.

Arances said Sec. Dominguez’s group attended the summit as they would just likely “seeking to champion climate justice and climate finance.”

Dominguez, according to Arances has been positioning itself as an authority not only in finance but also in climate engagements, and endeavors like the Agus-Pulangi facilities that have great potential to become a gateway for access to climate financing for the climate-vulnerable Philippines.

“This loan becomes a terrible precedent for how financing for an energy transition will look like in the country amid a global economic crisis and intensifying climate change,” said Arances.

In a simple language that anyone can understand, this means they want to make sure that the world sets aside enough money for poor, vulnerable countries like the Philippines, according to Arances.

He said to move away from dirty energy and help its people survive and thrive even amid freak storms, intense droughts, and sea-level rise.

Arances said this is the biggest ask of developing countries in said climate summit.

The Philippines is part of a group of 134 developing countries pushing for greater climate funding pledges and deeper emission cuts from rich nations.

“We hope this is a sign that lessons were learned on how unwise it was to flood Mindanao with coal, which only burdened communities and consumers with pollution and higher electricity rates,” said Arances.