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On its website, the Philippine Department of Energy rhetorically asks "How do you plan to address mounting opposition on coal?" In response it states that "in order to address environmental concerns, the DOE shall encourage operation of coal power plants that utilize clean coal technologies. There will be efforts to educate the public on the real impact of and the available mitigating measures for coal operations."<ref name="Coal"/>
==Citizen Actions Against Coal==
===April 2010: Earth Day protests against coal===
On Earth Day 2010, 4,000 environmentalists protested in solidarity with rallies in Tampakan, South Cotabato, and Maasim, Sarangani, to protest the the coal-fired plant project of [[CONAL Holdings]], and mining activities in these provinces.
Protesters in Sarangani included leaders of religious groups, fishermen, indigenous people, and foreign divers who said the project will destroy the waters of Maasim, because of the area's ecologically important coral reefs. Mindanao State University students dressed as Na'vi from the film Avatar marched toward the fenced property of the proposed plant site. The protesters and media were refused entry to the CONAL Community Development Office. A slight commotion occurred when four unidentified men suspected to be working for CONAL were seen with cameras, video recorders and handheld radios at the rally.<ref name="avatar">[http://ph.beta.promo.yahoo.com/purple-thumb/editors-log-article?blogid=editors_log&postid=142&viewPost=1 "Rallies vs coal plant, mining mark Earth Day in Soccskargen"] Yahoo! News, April 26, 2010.</ref>
Elson Helsa of Maasim Peoples Coalition on Climate Change (MP3C) expressed fears CONAL might finance local candidates who supported the setting up of the plant. Sarangani Gov. Miguel Dominguez, Maasim Mayor Aniceto Lopez Jr., and Kiamba Mayor Rommel Falgui announced their support to the project during a community consultation held in 2009.<ref name="avatar"/>
In Tampakan, the protest started with a prayer rally followed by a press conference calling for a stop to the mining activities of XTRATA-Sagitarious Mines Inc. The protesters demanded the pullout of XTRATA-SMI and called for sustainable development, the protection of watersheds and respect for indigenous people’s rights.<ref name="avatar"/>
==Articles and resources==
