Marcos urged to veto natural gas development bill

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should veto the proposed Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act, environmental groups said. 

For the Power for People Coalition (P4P) and Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), the bill would lock the country into continued reliance on fossil fuels — a major driver of climate change. 

The 19th Congress gave its final stamp of approval on the proposed measure on Wednesday, November 13, adopting Senate Bill 2793. 

The proposed legislation mandates the government to “promote natural gas as a safe, efficient and cost-effective source of energy” and utilize it as a “transition fuel.”

Environmental advocates, however, argue that this bill poses significant challenges to achieving climate goals.

Natural gas still a fossil fuel

According to WagGas, a coalition against gas expansion, the bill falsely positions natural gas as a climate-friendly alternative. Natural gas is primarily composed of methane, a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. 

“Gas produces methane, which is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period. It is not at all a ‘cleaner’ alternative,” WagGas convenor Bishop Gerry Alminaza said in a statement on Thursday, November 14.

Meanwhile, PMCJ said in a statement on Friday, November 15, that portraying natural gas as a “transition fuel” ignores the fact that it is still a fossil fuel.

“It has been a common justification of the government to falsely prove that the country is transitioning to renewables and a clear detour of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C,” the group said.

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PMCJ cited the 2023-2050 Philippine Energy Plan, which promotes natural gas as a transitional fuel to replace coal and oil. 

The plan also forecasts increased investments and jobs in the natural gas industry, despite projecting a doubling of the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The group explained in its position paper that the Philippine Energy Plan’s reliance on natural gas as a transition fuel is flawed. Global decarbonization demands immediate fossil fuel reductions, and natural gas is a volatile commodity susceptible to geopolitical disruptions.

As the Philippine Energy Plan promotes natural gas, PMCJ said that recent events, such as the explosion of the liquefied natural gas tanker BW Batangas FSRU in June, have underscored the safety risks associated with fossil fuel infrastructure as locals expressed concern.

Detrimental to the country

With the Philippines facing increasingly more frequent storms due to climate change, the P4P Coalition that the passage of the bill, which would exacerbate climate change, is particularly concerning.

“The passage and subsequent adoption of the bill comes as the Philippines is battered by a record-breaking four typhoons in a month, a phenomenon worsened by climate change from greenhouse gas emissions produced by using fossil fuels such as gas and coal,” the group said. 

The Philippines has been relentlessly pummeled by a series of storms, including Severe Tropical Storm Kristine and Typhoons Leon, Marce, Nika, Ofel, and Pepito, which have struck the country almost weekly over the past month — some of which overlapped.

Father Edwin Gariguez, convenor of Protect Verde Island Passage, warned that the natural gas bill would exacerbate the threats facing the ecologically sensitive Verde Island Passage, which has already suffered from an oil spill in 2023.

“This bill will increase the direct threat to marine seascape Verde Island Passage from the traffic of more ships and tankers, and the emissions of power plants using gas,” he said. 

Double standards

PMCJ finds it ironic that the administration while promoting renewable energy initiatives like Executive Order 21, is considering legislation that would expand fossil fuel infrastructure.

“If President Bongbong Marcos really is for renewable and clean energy, it begs the question as to how he will save us from the Congress,” PMCJ said. 

Alminaza also criticized Congress for failing to consult with civil society, including PMCJ and gas-affected communities, who did not have the opportunity to speak at a Senate hearing on the bill in July.

“We have been calling for the junking of this bill through dialogues, letters, and even attendance during hearings, but it seems the voice of the people always falls on deaf ears when it comes to the Senate and Congress,” he said. 

Should the proposed legislation become law, environmental groups said it would undermine the country’s efforts to transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.

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While the world convenes at the COP29 Climate Change Summit to address the climate crisis, environmental groups said it is only fit for Marcos to reject the natural gas bill.

The bill is now in Marcos’ hands, who has 30 days to sign it into law from when he receives the copy. He may also veto it or allow it to lapse into law. 

Even if Marcos decides to veto the bill, Congress still has the power to supersede it with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.