ENVIRONMENTALISTS from different countries, including the crew of Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior, and members of Responsible Ilonggos for Sustainable Energy (RISE) called on the Senate to fast-track the passage of the Renewable Energy (RE) bill to pave way for aggressive renewable energy development in the country.

The Lower House has already passed its counterpart RE bill last Wednesday.

The green groups also set-up a "climate defenders camp" at the proposed site of a new coal plant in Iloilo city to demand cancellation of the project.

The group warned President Arroyo who is backing the construction of the 165 MW coal plant in Iloilo that it would only contribute to climate change and threaten local communities with pollution. Greenpeace reiterated that burning coal is "the single biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions and a major cause of climate change."

"A coal plant does not and must not have any business in Iloilo or the Philippines anymore. We want clean renewable energy to power the development of the city and our country. The entire Western Visayas should be made a development model for renewable energy," RISE convener Melvin Pursuelo said.

"The Senate must pass the RE Bill. The present situation demands that the government quickly address energy efficiency, the problems of energy distribution and the development of the renewable energy market. We have to do it now while the country sits on 54 percent of excess electricity and a huge renewable energy potential," Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Jasper Inventor said. "The threats of climate impacts to the entire country should be enough to spur the government to mitigate and adapt, starting with the cancellation of new coal power plant projects."

Greenpeace said the Philippines has renewable energy potential of more than 200,000 MW from a combination of geothermal, wind, solar, biomass, and mini-hydro - more than five times the country's energy demand.