Legarda Lauds Passage of New Antique Ordinance Banning New Coal-Fired Power Plant

Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda commended the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of her home province of Antique for approving an ordinance banning the establishment of a new coal-fired power plant in the province.

As the representative of the Lone District of Antique, Legarda said that the provincial ordinance will help the province reduce harmful emissions and pursue resilient and sustainable development while protecting the environment and safeguarding the health of all Antiqueños.

“I laud the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for taking a step towards a sustainable path through the approval of this provincial ordinance. With the increasing need to address the climate crisis, we have to wean our economies from over dependence on coal and other fossil fuels. Proliferation of new coal-fired power plants will only contribute to our own destruction and will only go against our commitment to reduce emissions to ensure livable communities today and for the future,” said Legarda

“Coal-fired power plants are our nation’s top source of greenhouse gas emissions and the primary cause of global warming. Our goal to reduce carbon emissions will be impossible if we will continue to allow the construction and operation of additional coal-fired power plants. Thus, this crucial action of our local government is a vital step towards climate resilience,” Legarda added.

Legarda expressed her optimism that with the new ordinance, the province of Antique will have stricter standards when it comes to environmental policies and any related activities with impacts on health and environment.

Previously, other provinces have issued coal-free local legislations such as Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Ilocos Norte, Guimaras, Sorsogon, Bohol and Occidental Mindoro while the cities of Sorsogon, Masbate and Ozamiz have issued similar ordinances.

“Our local leaders must be at the forefront of climate action to ensure that solutions will address the specific climate vulnerabilities of communities. We must continue to lead the province towards the better path of resilience and sustainability. Let us keep in mind that the survival of the present and future generations depends on the decisions and actions that we make today. I am also hoping that this move taken by my province will inspire neighboring provinces in the Visayas,” Legarda concluded.

Over the years of being a legislator and an advocate of environmental protection, Legarda has been at the forefront of climate leadership and has consistently urged other government agencies and stakeholders to urgently act on the climate emergency. She authored landmark environment and climate legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Renewable Energy Act, Climate Change Act, People’s Survival Fund Act, National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, Green Jobs Act, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. She has also led innovative policy and strategy development for climate action, including the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction in the government’s annual national budget during her term as the Chair of the Committee on Finance in the Philippine Senate.

Legarda is also the UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience, UNFCCC National Adaptation Plan Champion, Member of the Governing Board of the Green Climate Fund, and Commissioner of the Global Commission on Adaptation.#