By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. yesterday affirmed his position opposing the proposed coal-fired power plant in San Carlos City.

“This [has been] one of our advocacies for a long time,” he stated. “My [stance] is non-negotiable.”

The governor also lauded the four dioceses in Negros for taking the same position.

Marañon thanked the dioceses for their support and said the letter they forwarded to the Negros Occidental Provincial Board opposing the plant proposal would be used during a committee hearing regarding the matter.

Last month, the  dioceses of Bacolod City, Dumaguete City, Kabankalan City, and San Carlos City released a collegial pastoral statement, where they cited Pope Francis’ call for “ecological conversion.” The statement advocated for a reduction in the consumption of coal and other fossil fuels and to “embrace an energy future that is clean, renewable, and equitable for the health and well-being of our planet and for our future generations.”

They also cited Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who said poor people around the world suffer greatly from the climate crisis and fossil fuels are among the main drivers of injustice./DGB, WDJ