(Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)
MANILA, PHILIPPINES [TAC] — The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) joined the call to stop the construction of a long-resisted coal plant in Narra, Palawan.
“The Palaweños have been resisting the existing coal plant and all destructive projects in the province for over a decade,” PMCJ Luzon Coordinator Erwin Puhawan said.
He added that in the first 15-MW coal-fired power plant built in the area, local communities complained that D.M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) failed to conduct public scoping and public hearings or provide clear science-based evidence of the coal project’s impact. They asserted that the proposed power plant would threaten the province’s biodiversity and the local residents’ health.
However, in August 2023, DMCI completed the construction of the plant in Brgy. Bato-Bato, Narra, Palawan. Now another 15-MW coal-fired power plant is being proposed.
“Following the news of the proposed coal plant, the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) found that several barangays, including Batang-Batang, Malinao and Aramaywan, were not informed, and there were no prior public consultations regarding the coal project,” PMCJ National Coordinator Ian Rivera said.
Rivera argued that Palawan has been a designated UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve since 1990. “This is the last ecological frontier of the Philippines. This alone is enough basis for why coal plants have no place in Palawan,” Rivera added.
From 2020 to 2024, Narra lost 305 hectares of its natural forest during the construction and operation of the coal plant in Narra. One noticeable effect of Palawan’s worsening climate and environmental condition is the recent flooding in the province. In February 2025, a shear line brought torrential rains to Palawan.
“In a period of climate emergency, it does not make sense why the government is still pursuing this unchanged path of allowing greater use of coal. It signals their misplaced priority on profits over the people and the planet, which falls on deaf ears among the alarms raised by communities affected by dirty and harmful projects,” Rivera said.
