Residents and advocacy groups in Calbayog City, Samar, have opposed plans to construct wind turbines within a forested protected and watershed area.
Eleen Lim, president of the Save Calbayog Rivers Foundation Concerted Effort (SACRIFICE) Inc., said a signature campaign was launched because the public was not properly informed about the project.
“There was no real public hearing or consultation to explain the possible destruction of our protected landscape,” Lim said.
Within two weeks, the group gathered over 6,000 signatures, supported by priests from the Vicariate I of the Diocese of Calbayog.
Ricky Bautista, president of the Region 8 Media-Citizen Council, stressed that while renewable energy is essential to address climate change, it should not endanger local ecosystems.
Environmental advocate Gina Dean warned that the project could lead to the cutting of over 5,000 trees and threaten the city’s main water source.
The Gemini Wind Energy Corp. (GWEC), however, clarified that no turbines would be installed within the Strict Protection Zone of the Calbayog Pan-as Hayiban Protected Landscape. The company said all proposed facilities are within Multiple-Use Zones, consistent with the zoning approved by the Protected Area Management Board.
GWEC said it had applied for a Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas covering only 24 hectares—or 0.48 percent—of the total protected area. The company maintained that renewable energy projects are vital to reducing carbon emissions and safeguarding ecosystems for future generations.
