Environmentalists Question Former Governor’s Stance on Project

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – The Green Alert Network (GAN) and the Group of Environmental Socialists (GOES) Inc. are questioning former governor Rafael Coscolluela’s stance on the Candoni palm oil project.

In a press statement provided to the Daily Guardian over the weekend, the groups said that during a meeting with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials, the local government of Kabankalan City, and the Negrosanon Youth Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE), the former governor, now a consultant for NICE, proposed creating a multipartite monitoring team to oversee HAPI’s palm oil plantation.

The groups claimed that this move undermines the pleas of farmers and indigenous communities in the area, who are calling for the project to be stopped and the revocation of the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA) issued to the proponent, which they allege lacks the necessary environmental permits.

GAN and GOES asserted that Coscolluela is suppressing the rights of the people through misleading tactics and promoting the palm oil project.

They added that the former governor’s influence and governance should uphold the rights of farmers, communities, indigenous people, and the environment if he genuinely supports promoting the welfare of the people and environmental protection.

“The groups cannot stand by while the government continues to trample on the rights of the people and the environment with this project,” the statement said.

They urged the public to stand up for what is right and oppose the continuation of the project due to its alleged violations and negative impacts on the community and environment.

The groups believe that pushing forward with the project despite these issues sends a message that powerful entities can manipulate the law.

The groups called for the voices of affected farmers, associations, and communities to be heard. As environmental watchdogs, they pledged to be the voice for those silenced and to defend the vulnerable. They asked for solidarity in raising awareness to expose the truth behind the project.

The statement emphasized that the groups stand for justice and the protection of environmental and community rights.

“They will not let the project proponents get away with their violations,” the statement said.

The groups warned that if the government allows the project to proceed despite its violations, it sends the message that powerful interests can bend the law.

The groups called on everyone to “rise up and join the fight to protect the common good,” the press release concluded.