Environmental advocates urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Congress to investigate Aboitiz Power’s Therma Visayas, Inc. (TVI) coal plant in Toledo City, Cebu, after independent tests found elevated levels of toxic substances in nearby waters.
The groups also called for a halt to the permitting of TVI’s proposed 150-megawatt expansion.
Located near the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape—one of the country’s largest marine protected areas—the plant sits in waters critical to marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of 2.4 million Filipinos.
Water samples taken in front of the coal plant and its jetty showed boron levels four times above normal, sulfate 1.4 times higher than baseline, and nickel nearing regulatory limits.
“The fact that pollutants are reaching these ecologically sensitive areas should raise serious concerns about the direct industrial impact of TVI,” said Bishop Gerry Alminaza, convenor of the Save Tañon Strait Network.
The prelate urged both local and national leaders to investigate the operations of the Aboitiz coal plant and halt its planned expansion, citing continued community concerns over toxic pollutants as well as the plant’s effects on public health and livelihoods.
Krishna Ariola, Climate and Energy Program Head at the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, said the presence of alarming levels of pollutants near the coal plant—despite it operating for only five years—poses risks to marine life and livelihoods, casting doubt on TVI’s claims of a “thriving” ecosystem beneath its coal jetty.
The study warned of long-term consequences such as heavy metal buildup, habitat damage, and toxicity to marine life, threatening biodiversity, food security, and fisheries.
Residents also voiced concern over worsening health conditions.
Nicasio Blanco, a local fisher and president of Limpyong Hangin Alang sa Tanan (LAHAT), reported a sharp increase in cardio-respiratory illnesses in Brgy. Bato and nearby areas in recent months, including instances where multiple deaths occurred within days.
He linked the health issues to pollution from the coal plant, which sits in the middle of residential communities. Blanco also called on both politicians and government agencies to prioritize the issue, stressing its impact on food, water, and air.
Advocates reminded the DENR of a recent Court of Appeals order requiring the designation of polluted water bodies as non-attainment areas under the Clean Water Act, urging the agency to act swiftly.
