Together with typhoon survivors and communities across the Philippines affected by climate impacts caused by the destructive operations of S and other oil, coal, and gas companies, we’re calling on President Bongbong Marcos: Hold these polluters accountable and make them pay!

Rationale The Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park (NPPNP) is a vital rainforest area that urgently requires intervention to halt wind turbine construction. PhilinCon has emphasized the need for sustainable development within NPPNP, highlighting the importance of balancing progress with biodiversity preservation. However, the Nabas Wind Power Project Phase Two (NWPP-2) threatens NPPNP's biodiversity, watersheds, and communities in impact zones. We question the continued disregard for environmental mandates within the protected area. While green energy is crucial for sustainability, we must not ignore the substantial environmental toll it may take. Republic Act No. 11038, the ENIPAS Law, aims to protect forest areas, allowing renewable energy development within them with stringent safeguards. Project Briefer The NWPP is a renewable energy project by PetroWind Energy, Inc. (PWEI). The company was granted the Wind Energy Service Contract No. 2009-09-002 located in the north-western section of Panay Island with an area consisting of 2,025 hectares. Following Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements, PWEI was then granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) No. ECC-RC-1205-132-4220, dated 01 June 2012, as amended on September 2013, 09 December 2013, 17 February 2021, and 29 March 2021, respectively. The NWPP-1 consists of 18 wind turbines (WTG 1 to WTG 18) with a total power production capacity of 36MW, transmission lines, internal access roads, and a control station located in the barangays of Pawa, Rizal, and Unidos in Nabas and Brgy. Napaan in Malay. Following guidelines mandated by the ENIPAS law, the project was allowed in the NPPNP through PAMB Resolution No. 2014-3 and granted by DENR Region VI with a Special Use Agreement on Protected Areas (SAPA) Application No. A0265DD2BFD107DC last 17 February 2023. From this, the NWPP-2 would involve six additional wind turbines (WTG 20 to WTG 25) with an expected total power generating capacity of 14MW located within the northern boundary of the NPPNP under the jurisdiction of Brgy. Pawa in Nabas and Brgy. Napaan in Malay. Environmental Impacts & Issues 1. Site Inspections Compelling evidence from joint inspections by LGU Malay and Aklan Trekkers revealed the distressing presence of siltation and sedimentation in the Daeamuan River followed by an environmental audit with Protect NPPNP Coalition that exposed that the ongoing constructions of the road network and platforms for the initial three wind turbines in Pawa, Nabas, Aklan have already created conditions conducive to substantial siltation in both Napaan and Nabaoy river watersheds. Notably, the landscape bore witness to extensive tree cutting, improper earth balling practices, conspicuous bulldozing, inefficient earth canals, and ineffective/unfinished/damaged gabions, all signaling the potential disruption of natural water flow and the broader ecosystem. 2. Water Potability & Economic Impact The effects have already damaging impacts on the water quality downstream from the NWPP-2 construction areas. As previously demonstrated, the failure to implement measures preventing heavy siltation and downstream accumulation has caused substantial harm to the entire river ecosystem. It has resulted in muddy water affecting not only Napaan and Nabaoy but also extending to the surrounding communities of Argao, Cubay, and Motag, as well as other coastal communities near these rivers. 3. EIA, ECC, & SAPA The recent Environmental Performance Report and Management Plan (EPRMP), serving as the primary EIA document alongside the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) crafted by PWEI in September 2018, aimed to comprehensively evaluate the impact of the then-proposed NWPP-2. However, upon a thorough examination of these reports, a notable deficiency emerged – a failure to foresee the potential repercussions on neighboring areas and an absence of robust mitigation strategies. The situation in Napaan epitomizes this issue, where although mitigation measures were presented, they have failed to adequately address the current challenges, leaving the area in its current compromised state. The EIA report and ECC have limitations, failing to address extensive impacts and mitigation strategies. Amendments to ECC beyond the allowed timeframe raised concerns about document legitimacy. Agreements also failed to mention impact site areas like the Nabaoy River Watershed. Furthermore, Nabaoy was notably absent from the SAPA agreement furnished by the PAMB. In PAMB Resolution 2014-03, titled 'Resolution Approving the Project Proposal of Petrowind Energy, Inc. (PWEI) in the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park for its Nabas Wind Power Project – Phase 2,' the project's area description was exclusively limited to Pawa in Nabas. Current Status Nabaoy passed a resolution complaining about the direct impacts of the initial road construction and requested SB Malay revocation of the resolution (2021) endorsing NWPP-2 due to its adverse impacts on water supply and decreased quality of community life. SB Malay also conducted committee hearings to repeatedly review and assess the environmental impacts of the project. The committee found inconsistencies and problems with PWEI's documents, leading to resolutions revoking prior endorsements and urging DENR to cancel the SAPA as follows: RESOLUTION NO. 140-A, Series of 2023 RESOLUTION NO. 140-B, Series of 2023 RESOLUTION NO. 140-C, Series of 2023

We must defend Manila Bay and its rich biodiversity, cultural heritage, and contribution to food security for the sake of Filipinos today and generations to come. As such, we must all say no to reclamation in Manila Bay.

The Philippines has one of the longest coastlines in the world, with a total length of approximately 36,289 kilometers. These coastlines are threatened by dredging, dump-and-fill projects, and other activities related to reclamation. The Philippines currently has over 180 proposed and ongoing reclamation projects. Coastal reclamation in the country has negatively impacted our marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of fishing communities. Reclamation activities can destroy coral reefs, our mangroves, seagrass beds, wetlands and other marine habitats which disrupt fish migration patterns, and decrease fish stocks, leading to a decline in the income of fisherfolk. The current form of reclamation projects also pose an increased risk of flooding and erosion, especially in areas that are prone to natural disasters such as typhoons and storm surges.The sites of these projects are vulnerable to ground shaking and liquefaction that raise red flags to people’s safety when earthquakes and flooding occur. The youth of the Philippines will be the most affected by the long-term impacts of these projects, which is why it is essential that our voices are heard in decision-making processes. We enjoin you to strengthen our efforts to defend and protect our country's natural resources. Stop dump-and-fill and dredging projects that threaten life both in land and sea! Break the silence, sign on, and let our voices be heard. Stop reclamation! #NoToReclamation #ClimateJusticeNow

Ang oil spill mula sa paglubog ng MT Princess Empress ay isa na sa pinakamalalawak na oil spill sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Umabot na ang langis sa pampang ng iba’t ibang probinsya, mula Oriental Mindoro hanggang Palawan. Namataan na rin ito sa Verde Island Passage, isang bahagi ng katubigan na mayaman sa marine biodiversity. Nananatili rin itong banta sa mga tanyag na tourism spots gaya ng Boracay at Puerto Galera. Sa loob lamang ng ilang linggo, libu-libong pamilya at mangingisda na ang dumaraing dahil sa insidenteng ito. Lampas 19,000 mangingisda na ang nawalan ng kabuhayan, mahigit isandaang residente na ang nagkakasakit, at nangangamatay na ang mga isda sa Oriental Mindoro at sa mga karatig-probinsya. Ngunit hanggang ngayon, ni isang kusing ay wala pang binabayad ang mga kumpanyang dawit sa sakunang ito. Maging ang charterer ng barko ay hindi pa rin lumalantad. Ang gastusin sa pagbangon ay dapat sagutin ng mga kumpanyang may sala — hindi ng gobyerno lamang o ng mga komunidad na mismong naaapektuhan ng kanilang mapaminsalang negosyo.

We need your voices to help stop the destruction of one of the most celebrated conservation areas in the Philippines. Photo above from Jeremy Agsawa.

Palawan is our only and last ecological frontier, known for its lush primary forests and rich biodiversity. It has 105 out of the 475 threatened species in the Philippines. Based on the IUCN classification, 105 are endangered, and 67 are endemic to the Philippines. Palawan's forest also provides ecosystem services that benefit the vast communities in Palawan and extend to the whole country by acting as a significant carbon sink. Yet, mining operations, monocrop plantations, and ill-planned infrastructure projects have degraded Palawan's forests for the longest time. The women, youth, farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples, and residents of Palawan once again join hands to call on the national government and local government to save Palawan's forests by upholding laws that are supposed to protect Palawan's natural forests and stop the issuance of permits, clearances, and legal instruments that the continued destruction of Palawan's forests.

The repercussions of climate change are already being felt in the twenty-first century. Droughts, more intense and frequent storms, rising sea levels, and higher temperatures are all having a negative impact on the planet's natural food webs and ecosystems. It is more important than ever to persuade people to abandon fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and instead invest in renewable energy.

We strongly condemn the railroading of the amendment of the Environment Code of South Cotabato, specifically the lifting of the ban on Open-Pit Mining. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of South Cotabato did not consider the magnitude of the effects their actions have on the people and the environment, not only in South Cotabato. With this action alone, it will affect multiple watersheds of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Davao del Sur. Further, it will also threaten the ecological integrities of Allah Valley (102,000 hectares) in Sultan Kudarat, the watershed of the Padada River (120,000 hectares) in Davao del Sur, and the watershed of the Marbel River (122,000 hectares) in the Province of Cotabato. Watersheds are geographical ecological units, and what happens in one part of the watershed will influence the whole watershed from forests, agricultural, urban, and coastal to estuarine ecosystems due to its geomorphological characteristics, connected rivers and tributaries at the surface, and including groundwater reserves. Open-Pit or Strip Mining is a metallic mining method assessed as one of the most extensively difficult to mitigate and manage; its impacts do not focus on one contained area. It also requires mass deforestation and removing 20-30 meters of the laterite zone to access the metallic resources underneath. This large-scale industry demands enormous hectares of land for operational processes from stripping, extraction, and tailings treatment, to ship loading and refinery. Furthermore, the Tampakan Open-Pit Mining will demand and use groundwater resources and transport highly toxic wastewater through a 150-km pipe from the Municipality of Malalag draining to Davao Gulf. There is a treatment process presented, however, the risks of overland flow, flooding disasters, or possible collapse of tailings ponds will inevitably impair marine and aquatic biodiversity, fish stocks, and aquaculture in the coastal areas, similar to the incident in Mapagba River in Banaybanay last January 2022. The Open-Pit Mining in Tampakan will hugely affect the long-term viability and sustainability of these watersheds that currently provide ecological services and natural resources to the people of South-Central Mindanao. The Tampakan Open-Pit Mining will become the largest mining in Southeast Asia. According to the project information, it is estimated to extract 2.94 billion tons of metallic resources, 15 million tons of copper, and 17.6 million ounces of Gold. According to S&P Global Market, Open-Pit mining emits a vast amount of greenhouse gases than underground mining methods. On average, copper mining emits 2.3-2.5 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) per ton of metal and nearly 1 ton of CO2 emitted per ounce of gold produced. Combining both Copper and Gold extractions, it is estimated that around 55 million tons of CO2 will be added to the country’s greenhouse gas contribution. Hence, this is ironic to our country’s commitment during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow that said it is moving ahead with urgency in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and committed to reducing its emissions by 75% in 2030.

This is crucial because numerous lives have been harmed and wasted as a result of Online Lending Applications (OLA). We seek justice for all victims, particularly those experiencing depression and contemplating ending their lives due to the extreme distress caused by the humiliation and intimidation from these OLAs. Many victims have lost their jobs because OLA agents have sent malicious messages to their bosses, tarnishing their reputations. Some are contemplating suicide due to trauma and depression caused by death threats, social media slander, and communication with friends and colleagues. These individuals can no longer return to their normal lives, experiencing broken relationships and friendships—all because of debts they did not intend to evade. Instead, they sought a delay in payment, only to face intimidation, threats, and humiliation on social media, affecting their friends and relatives.

We have been receiving unfair debt collection practices such as insults and use of profane language,violent threats,fals representation,publication of our names in social media, invasion of our data privacy,calling and threatening our personal contacts/friends/ family and relatives which greatly put us to very shameful situation. We hope u will help us take this matter urgently. More Power.God bless Location: Quezon City

Current and dominant election narratives in the news and in social media focus on personalities and partisanship. We believe that this focus must be shifted and more space must be made for tackling issues, particularly the issues that will define the future of the planet and the fate of the youth. The #Love52 movement envisions an empowered and forceful youth voice that is demanding good governance and a better normal. “Why do we vote?” We vote to protect our loved ones, our country, and our planet. Together with various youth nationwide, we’ll seed changes in the Filipinos’ thinking about election issues, and show them that they have the power to change the narrative and move candidates to adopt the youth agenda.