(Courtesy: Jimmy Domingo)
Nanawagan ang climate activists sa Asian Development Bank na itigil na ang pagpopondo sa fossil fuels at kanselahin na rin ang public debts.
Nagsagawa ng kilos protesta ang Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development sa harap ng headquarters ng ADB sa Mandaluyong City kung saan ginaganap ang kanilang 55th Annual Meeting.
Bitbit ang malalaking placard, kinalampag ng grupo si ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa na tigilan na ang pagpopondo sa mga proyektong nakasisira sa kalikasan.
“We are protesting the ADB’s continued financing of fossil gas, which seriously imperils climate action. It is not enough for the ADB to end financing for new coal. It needs to stop financing for all fossil fuels,” pahayag ni Lidy Nacpil, coordinator ng APMDD.
“We are also demanding that ADB cancel outstanding debts of fossil fuels and other harmful projects. It should immediately start with canceling debts from coal projects. ADB has already acknowledged that coal power is harmful to people and the planet and committed to stopping new coal lending. It should cancel outstanding loans from its past support for coal or convert these outstanding debts to grants for renewable energy. Staggering debt burdens continue to plague most developing countries and the impacts of these burdens are far worse during this time of the multiple crises of Covid, climate, and economic hardships,” dagdag ni Nacpil.
Sinabi naman ni Ian Rivera, coordinator ng Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) na idinadaan ng ADB ang pagpopondo sa mga loan.
Sa panig ni Rayyan Hassan, executive director ng NGO Forum on ADB na nagbigay na ng leksyon ang mga nagdaang bagyo para pangalagaan ang kalikasan.
“Super typhoons and the pandemic have taught us that neglecting critical issues such as public health, energy access, and village-to-hospital infrastructure can lead to a massive human and capital cost. The ADB cannot pursue a pathway that remains bound to private profit in the name of development,” pahayag ni Hassan.