SABLAYAN, Mindoro Occidental — The municipality of Sablayan has made a declaration to transition its electric power source to clean, green renewables—an effort to help drive the tripling target of global renewables in 2030.

On January 20, Sablayan Mayor Walter “Bong” Marquez, with an authorization from the Sablayan Municipal Council, entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) to set the transition to renewable energy (RE).

The MOU was signed in the presence of Mindoro Occidental Governor Ed Gadiano, Vice Governor Anecita Tayag, Congressman Leody Tarriela, Sablayan Vice Mayor Edwin Mintu, and officers of Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (OMECO), during the 123rd Founding Anniversary of the town and the 20th Fiesta Parangal of San Lorenzo.

“What gives weight to the accord is the support of the provincial government in the call for 100% renewables. A total of 13.99 GW renewable potential will be made available by 2030, which is more than 30 times the current demand of the town,” PMCJ National Coordinator Ian Rivera said.

Luzon Coordinator Erwin Puhawan conducted a presentation on the province’s power situation. “The peak demand in 2020 is 24.48 megawatts (MW) higher than the 24.16 MW in 2019 of one percent. Peak demand has no significant changes due to the effect of the pandemic on the local economic activities,” Puhawan said.

In Puhawan’s presentation, the power crisis in the province was not due to OMECO’s mismanagement of the supply, but by red tape on the part of the Energy Regulatory Commission and the National Power Corp. Parties vowed to work on the problems of Mindoro Occidental’s power situation, with the vision of the planned and managed phaseout of fossil fuels and just transition to renewable energy (RE).

Rivera provided the context and facilitated the setting of objectives for the planned RE and Investment Summit in the province. PMCJ Senior Energy Officer Larry Pascua also presented the concept and challenges of the climate crisis and climate emergency.

Last September 2024, Albay held the RE and Investment Summit where a total of Php 84 billion (US$ 1.5 Billion) for the development of 1250 MW of RE projects was pledged by various business groups and investors.

“Year after year, LGUs take up the vital role in addressing the climate crisis. Forging tangible partnerships, and policy and campaign initiatives, are all essential for the ongoing global campaign for climate justice,” Rivera added.

The town of Sablayan is the third local jurisdiction in the Philippines pushing for 100% RE by 2030. The first two are the provinces of Albay and Misamis Oriental. — PMCJ