The three Roman Catholic bishops in Negros Occidental issued a collegial pastoral statement Tuesday, February 28, calling for the urgent need to transition into renewable energy amid the current climate crisis.
The statement was signed by San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon and Kabankalan Bishop Louie Galbines who met with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Capitol in Bacolod City.
“Recognizing our shared responsibility and the need for collective effort in creating and shaping the future we want for our province, we as leaders of the Catholic faithful in the province, invite all stakeholders…to join our call to adopt clean and sustainable energy sources and pursue measures that will contribute to climate adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change,” they said.
They said they enjoin parishes, religious communities, and organizations to be conscious of their energy use and its impact on the climate and the planet.
“Where possible, let renewable energy sources power our properties within seven years. There are clear and long-term environmental, social and economic benefits that can be derived from this bold initiatives,” the bishops said.
They said they are encouraging business establishments, households and communities to consider adopting alternative renewable energy sources, particularly rooftop solar systems, which can immediately address individual consumers’ electricity woes.
They also called on Catholic educational institutions to not only lead climate and energy education but to also lead by example in powering their facilities with renewable energy. Several universities in the Philippines are already powered by renewable energy, and in all cases, these have exhibited great economic and environmental gains, they said.
The bishops also called on financial institutions such as banks, credit unions and cooperatives, funding agencies, and government finance organizations to play an integral role in this campaign.
Financing mechanisms and channels should be made available so that access to renewable energy and its utilization becomes more affordable to the general public, based on a demand-driven approach to just energy transition, they said.
The bishops also encouraged households and private establishments to do their part by availing of existing government programs and mechanisms such as the Net-Metering facility and the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), to contribute to the achievement of a clean and renewable-energy-powered future.
They said most importantly, they urge policymakers and the leadership of electric cooperatives who play a crucial role in transitioning to Distributed Energy Resource systems to put climate action and sustainable energy at the heart of their plans, projects, policies, programs, and daily operations.
They said the Dioceses of Bacolod, Kabankalan, and San Carlos have already installed decentralized solar systems that help power their mission and daily operations. *