Quezon for Environment (QUEEN), church leaders and residents from Atimonan in Quezon Province, together with the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), filed a criminal and administrative complaint on Nov. 3, 2025 against Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin for approving the 1,200-Megawatt (MW) Atimonan One Energy Inc. (A1E) coal-fired power plant project.
In 2020, DOE issued a coal moratorium to halt the development of new coal-fired power plant projects. Despite this, in July 2025, Sec. Garin exempted the Atimonan coal plant project from the moratorium even though it did not meet the requirements for exemption.
Groups and communities in Quezon Province, particularly in Atimonan, strongly opposed Garin’s decision.
‘There is overwhelming opposition against the construction of the Atimonan coal plant. It is not just the church but the people of Atimonan and Quezon Province. Besides, the economic and financial arguments are clearly against it. No one is interested in investing in the construction of coal plants anymore as their era has passed. Even the past DOE leadership has given up on it. DOE Secretary Garin has created a mess, and now she has to face the consequences,’ said Fr. Warren Puno, lead convenor of Quezon for Environment (QUEEN).
The case filed before the Office of the Ombudsman accuses Garin of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019), as well as committing grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. Complainants charge Garin for unlawfully allowing the Atimonan coal plant project to proceed despite the coal moratorium, even as it did not fall under any of the exemptions, thereby risking serious harm to local communities and the environment.
‘Sec. Garin clearly violated her own Department’s coal moratorium when she conveniently greenlighted the Atimonan coal plant despite DOE’s previous decision to bar the long-stalled project due to the existing ban. Her approval bears the hallmarks of corruption by accommodating a project to the point of breaking existing regulations. Even the DOE’s Oct. 14, 2025 advisory, which expanded the exemptions to the coal moratorium, cannot be retroactively applied to justify the Atimonan coal plant project, although this seems to be Garin’s intention. In the face of ongoing protests and investigation into the flood control issue, Garin should be investigated for facilitating the endorsement and approval of projects supposedly banned by the government,’ said Atty. Aaron Pedrosa, PMCJ chief legal counsel.
Atty. Pedrosa added that the project also violates the Department of Health (DOH) – Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2021-0001, also known as Guidelines for the Operationalization of the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Review Process for Development Projects, as the project proponent has yet to send an application for Health Impact Clearance Certificate.
‘Quezon Province is a coal corridor with five operating coal plants with a total capacity of 2,250 MW. It is burning the people’s health, livelihood, and future. We have been fighting against these environmentally degrading projects for decades now. Communities here deserve to breathe clean air. We will not stop fighting until they are held accountable. They need to rectify their decisions now and heed our call,’ said Ma. Luisa Opalda, one of the complainants and a resident of Atimonan.
The groups urge the Office of the Ombudsman to promptly act on the case filed to deter public officials from extending undue advantage to projects that may harm public welfare.
PMCJ, together with other concerned organizations, calls on the government to reaffirm its implementation of the coal moratorium, address the communities’ concerns about livelihood loss and health impacts, and hold those who enable the exacerbation of the climate crisis to account.