From Mindanao to Luzon, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) of the big bourgeois Ramon Ang, plunders the country’s natural resources relentlessly, destroying the environment and the peopel’s livelihood.

In Zambales, residents, environmental groups and church people oppose the plan of San Miguel Global Power (SMGP), a subsidiary of SMC, to expand its Masinloc Power Plant in Masinloc, Zambales. They also condemned Zambales governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr, a retired general, for endorsing the plan. Ebdane was former Philippine National Police chief, secretary of the Department of Defense, and the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Residents oppose the construction of two additional coal-powered plant units. They are calling for the immediate closure of the plant.

In their counter-petition, residents said they were evicted from their homes and sources of livelihood in communities around the plant. They also suffered from health problems, and harassment and intimidation against opposition. The waters in Masinloc Bay have also been polluted.

The Concerned Citizens of Zambales study found that coal ash from Masinloc destroyed mango production, a major livelihood in the province. It also damaged farms in northern Zambales. If the plant continues expanding, it will cause more extensive damage to farms and pollute the air of the province.

The groups also condemned Standard Chartered, a UK-based multinational bank, for financing the project. The plant has also received funding from the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.

In the Philippines, coal-powered plants produce 54.7% of the energy sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.