The environment department has since paused the Manila operations amid public backlash but insists tree-cutting in Manila and Palawan complies with safeguards and will be offset by seedling replacement. Environmental and public transportation advocates counter that tree protection is a more sustainable approach.
Research by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) and Greenpeace shows the number of villages across Indonesia using solar energy among households declined by more than a quarter between 2021 and 2024.