The bishop said that the protest action will start on Earth Day, April 22, with a caravan in this city’s major thoroughfares. The first day of protest will be against the coal-fired power plant.
On the next day, yet another caravan rally, this time against Sagittarius, would be staged in Koronadal City.
Organizers estimate that 5,000 people would be joining the protest here and another 2,500 in Koronadal.
Rene Pamplona, advocacy officer of the Diocese of Marbel’s social action center, said the 25 parishes of the diocese will join. There will be representatives, too, from the academe, non-government organizations and multi-sectoral groups like the Bayan Muna, he added.
Organizers say they are against the power plant in Maasim “due to concerns on global warming, its negative effects to the environment and human health because of its toxic emissions of greenhouse gases and particulates.”
But Joseph C. Nocos, Conal Holdings vice president, stressed that his company would be employing modern technology to contain pollution.
Protest organizers said that in the case of Sagittarius, the mining venture would threaten the environment and pose threat to human health and food security in the area.
But the company’s corporate communications manager, John B. Arnaldo, said they plan to use “responsible and sustainable” mining methods. (MindaNews)