FILE - The Ilijan liquified natural gas plant is visible with Verde Island, in the distance, along the coast of Ilijan, Batangas province, Philippines on Aug. 11, 2023. FILE - Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas gestures during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in the city of Batangas, Batangas province, Philippines on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023.
Mandanas and associates did not respond to requests for comment through email, Facebook message and LinkedIn. “The case of Mandanas is not isolated,” the editorial said. “Such unethical practices are so brazen and too frequent that ordinary Filipinos have come to ignore them.” The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice , and the nonprofit Center for Energy, Ecology and Development, which has campaigned against the natural gas buildout, called for a full investigation. Batangas residents are “doomed to pay for their governor’s greed with their own health and livelihood,” the PMCJ said in a statement to the Manila Times published July 2.