No auction, no roadmap: bishop presses DOE on Semirara

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique — The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose de Antique is urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to adopt a government-backed just transition roadmap for Semirara Island so that coal workers and their families are not left without livelihoods as the island’s coal operating contract nears its 2027 expiration.

In a pastoral appeal issued Oct. 4, Bishop Marvyn Maceda of San Jose de Antique called on the DOE to incorporate the roadmap into the Philippine Energy Plan and to make it part of the terms and conditions of any future coal operating contract (COC) for the island.

Maceda said any future operator should be required to submit not only a coal extraction plan but also an enforceable program covering workers, affected communities, environmental rehabilitation, economic diversification, and the island’s gradual transition away from coal dependence.

The appeal comes amid uncertainty over the future of mining on Semirara Island in Caluya town, where Coal Operating Contract No. 5 of Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) expires July 14, 2027.

The government earlier rejected SMPC’s bid to extend its decades-long tenure on the island and opted to open the area to competitive bidding.

Semirara is the country’s largest coal mine. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin has said it accounts for about 10 percent of the country’s total coal requirements.

In a Sept. 15 advisory, the DOE terminated its 2026 coal bid round to reassess the parameters for awarding future COCs. The round covered three coal areas, including 10 coal blocks on Semirara Island.

The bid round was launched in February, but the auction slated for April was postponed while the DOE worked on its terms of reference.

The department said ongoing water seepage could affect the volume of extractable coal reserves, while a legal dispute involving the current operator and the DOE had created uncertainties for prospective bidders.

In July, SMPC sought protection from DOE demands for detailed asset inventories and proprietary technical information intended for prospective bidders.

Maceda said the uncertainty has raised concerns among workers and their families about their livelihoods and the island’s future.

On Sept. 25, residents and local groups held a peaceful gathering on the island to press the government for clarity on the future of coal mining and the jobs tied to it.

“Semirara itself needs a clear, time-bound, and adequately funded Just Transition Roadmap. We are not asking that coal mining simply stop tomorrow without regard for the country’s energy requirements or the livelihood of thousands of workers and their families. An abrupt and unprepared closure could itself cause grave social suffering,” Maceda said.

“We ask that the transition begin now, while there is still time and while resources are still available to prepare for it responsibly,” he added.

Maceda said the transition should begin while coal production continues for an appropriate period, giving government, industry, and communities time to prepare for the eventual shift.

His proposals include developing renewable energy and other sustainable industries in Semirara and Caluya; retraining coal workers and giving them priority for new jobs; diversifying the local economy; providing social protection for affected workers and their families; and progressively rehabilitating mining-affected land, waters, and ecosystems.

“The cost of this transition must not simply be passed on to the workers,” Maceda said.

He stressed that the government and industries that have benefited from Semirara’s resources bear a corresponding responsibility to its people and to the island’s rehabilitation.

Maceda acknowledged that SMPC has existing initiatives. He said these should be consolidated under an overarching, publicly articulated, time-bound, and adequately funded roadmap aimed at gradually reducing Semirara’s dependence on coal.

The bishop said the shift to renewable energy should go beyond replacing one energy source with another.

“A just transition must protect workers, strengthen communities, create sustainable livelihoods, and restore the land and sea that have carried part of the burden of powering our country,” he said.

The DOE has said the termination of the 2026 coal bid round does not mean it is abandoning the development of indigenous coal resources.

Instead, the department said it would reassess the bidding parameters and develop a fair, equitable, transparent, and comprehensive framework before offering the coal areas again.

The DOE said this is meant to ensure that future contracts deliver stronger economic returns, support domestic energy needs, and generate clear benefits for the government and Filipino consumers.

Garin said in late September that the DOE aimed to relaunch the Semirara auction in early October.