Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra led lay people, seminarians and priests in a prayer vigil Friday outside a courtroom before a hearing was held on a petition to stop geothermal exploration activities in the buffer zone of Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park.
The court has not yet issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the petition filed by the Save Mt. Kanlaon Coalition (SMKC) to stop the geothermal exploration activities of Energy Development Corporation (EDC).
During the hearing in a Bacolod City Regional Trial Court Friday morning, lawyer Andy Hagad, the SMKC counsel said that the petition for TRO would be an exercise in futility because EDC has already cut almost 2,000 trees in the buffer zone.
The group however would still like to proceed with the hearing, said Hagad, even if the case would reach the Supreme Court.
They prayed the rosary in the hope that their petition will be granted to stop the exploration in Kanlaon which they believe destroys biodiversity in the area.
A drizzle also did not stop the group from showing their opposition to the firm's geothermal expansion project.
Protestors wearing yellow ribbons stayed under the rain while more or less 600 pro-EDC people carried placards in support of the firm's geothermal project.
Post a Comment