The social action arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines has urged the government not to extend the coal operating contract on Semirara Island.
The call comes as the government reviews the coal operating contract on Semirara Island ahead of its 2027 expiration.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, president of Caritas Philippines, said the country “stands before a moral reckoning,” adding that the government decision will be a test with lasting consequences for communities, ecosystems, and future generations.
“This decision is not merely technical. It is not neutral,” he said. The prelate said that it would reveal “whose lives matter, whose voices count, and what kind of future we are willing to accept.”
The bishop pointed to the lived experiences of residents on Semirara, home to the Philippines’ largest open-pit coal mine and nearly all the country’s known mangrove species.
He cited the case of a seaweed farmer who “watched black coal particles settle on his growing lines, knowing that months of labor and his family’s only income were being quietly erased.”
Coal mining, Alminaza said, reorganized the island around extraction, with key decisions made “by institutions and boardrooms that would never breathe its air, drink its water, or raise children on its shores.”
While mining provided employment, he said it also weakened traditional livelihoods and degraded ecosystems. “After decades of extraction and billions in profit, many families remain poor, exposed to risk, and uncertain about tomorrow,” he said.
“This is not development. This is dispossession managed over time,” Alminaza added.
The bishop challenged claims that coal is indispensable to national development and energy security, noting that the Philippines remains dependent on imported coal and continues to face high electricity prices.
He warned that such arrangements normalize injustice, saying, “Gains are concentrated. Losses are pushed downward,” the statement said, adding that communities who resist are often told “there is no alternative.”
Alminaza issued a direct appeal to policymakers. “Do not extend the coal operating contract on Semirara. Do not reissue it under another corporate name. Do not disguise continuation as reform,” he said.
“Ending coal is not extreme. Continuing it is reckless,” he added.
He called for a “decisive coal phaseout, beginning now,” and said a just transition must include restoring livelihoods, compensating losses, protecting land and sea, and investing in renewable energy that serves communities.
