"Coal power plants in Bataan commit human rights violations", 5 Aug 2015

The wind blew, carrying with it a certain smell of sulfur and an amount of ash that later covered the road...This is everyday life for the community living near the coal-fired power plant in Lamao, Limay, Bataan, a barangay (community) of 18,000 people in the northern part of the Philippines. Petron Corporation constructed the coal-fired powerplant in Lamao and has been in operation for 2 years. San Miguel Corporation (SMC), through SMC Global Power Holdings..., has been constructing its other coal-fired power plants in the area which are set to be online by 2016 and 2017...According to Earthjustice, coal ash remains from burning coal in power plants are toxic and can cause cancer, respiratory illness, neurological damage, and developmental problems. The toxic level of coal ash which mostly come from arsenic, mercury, lead, and chromium, also poison drinking water sources...[A] percentage of the population has acquired respiratory problems and water has recently been contaminated...Petron Corporation also dumps their coal ash waste in the area, which the company later turns into cement...Residents of Lamao are facing violence and harassment amidst the fight against their eviction from their own land to accommodate the new coal-fired power plants by SMC. The community has been up in arms, especially with 110 families facing eviction...