MAASIM, Sarangani Province, Philippines (PNA) - Greenpeace flagship ''Rainbow Warrior'' on Saturday sailed to this town to join thousands of folk who want to ''knock out'' coal and broadcast their rejection of dirty coal power.
In a first of its kind protest-at-sea, the ship was accompanied along Sarangani Bay by hundreds of small fishing boats to the shore beside the site of the proposed plant, where a team of fishermen formed the words ''Clean Energy Now'' using at least 75 boats.
On land, Sarangani communities formed a giant human banner with the words ''No to coal'' in San Felipe Colon Elementary School just a few hundred meters away from the coal plant project site.
''Coal is dirty energy. It has negative effects on health because of its toxic emissions. We want to protect our environment so our air and water can remain clean for our children,'' said Vicente Jatico, chairman of the Maasim People's Coalition on Climate Change (MP3C). Greenpeace said that coal may seem like the most practical fuel because of its abundance.
