“Lunurin si Marcos at mga ganid sa likas-yaman!" Indigenous Peoples mark Int’l Day of Action for Rivers with protest at DENR

QUEZON CITY – Indigenous Peoples, environmental groups, and advocates gathered in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Central Office on Friday to mark the International Day of Action for Rivers, condemning large dams and renewable energy projects that continue to destroy river systems and displace communities.

The protest, led by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas, featured a symbolic “drowning” of the faces of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., government agencies, and corporations responsible for destructive projects. The act dramatized calls to hold them accountable for the plunder of rivers and ancestral lands.

Funa-ay Claver of Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas emphasized that amid the deepening economic crisis, the aggressive push for large dams, renewable energy projects, and other extractive industries only further drowns Indigenous Peoples in suffering. “While many communities remain without basic social services such as healthcare, education, and clean water, billions of pesos in public funds continue to flow into projects that primarily benefit corporations and political elites, displacing communities and destroying rivers. By plundering our lands and waterways, they violate our rights and threaten the survival of generations of Indigenous Peoples,” said Claver.

Government data show the scale of these threats. According to the Department of Energy Philippine Energy Plan 2023-2050, over 400 hydropower projects have been awarded nationwide as of 2024, with about one-fourth located within or near Indigenous territories. In the Cordillera region alone, over 100 renewable energy projects, mostly hydropower, now cover nearly half of the region’s land when combined with mining applications–directly threatening river systems and centuries-old Indigenous territories.

Major projects continue to endanger communities and waterways. The Kaliwa Dam in Sierra Madre threatens over 10,000 Dumagat households and vital river systems. In Panay, the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project has taken at least 500 hectares of Tumandok ancestral land, displacing communities. The dam project was previously backed by Senate President Franklin Drilon during the administration of President Noynoy Aquino, and faced criticism over its controversial funding, including allocations from the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). In 2024, corruption concerns resurfaced after a sudden ₱7-billion infusion of unprogrammed funds for the project. In Bukidnon, the proposed Pulangi V Hydroelectric Power Project risks Lumad ancestral lands and disrupts the Pulangi river system that sustains local communities. In Lanao, the Agus Hydroelectric Power Complex has destabilized the Agus River system, leading to the disappearance of endemic species. While it is believed to provide electricity to much of Mindanao, many areas on the island continue to experience limited or unreliable service.

Meanwhile, Julieta Gomez of Sandugo - Movement of Moro and Indigenous Peoples for Self-Determination stressed that the destruction of rivers is often accompanied with human rights violations. “Ang pagkasira ng ating mga ilog ay dulot hindi lamang ng mga dam kundi pati ng pagmimina, malawakang plantasyon, at iba pang mapanirang proyekto. Sa tuwing may pandarambong sa ating likas-yaman, laging kasabay nito ang militarisasyon sa aming mga komunidad upang patahimikin ang pagtutol ng mamamayan,” said Gomez. In 2012, known anti-Pulangi dam activist and leader of Task Force Save Pulangi (TFSP) Margarito Cabal was gunned down by unidentified individuals riding in tandem.

The groups also added that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, widely seen as instigated by the United States and Israel, have driven global oil prices to surge, further worsening the economic burden on ordinary people. While the government uses the energy crisis to justify the rapid expansion of energy projects, they stressed that these must not come at the expense of Indigenous Peoples and their ancestral lands.

Ryan Serquñia of Kabataan para sa Tribung Pilipino highlighted, “With the US-Israel war on Iran and escalating conflict in the Middle East, the crisis only deepens. Instead of addressing people’s urgent needs and protecting our natural resources, governments continue to prioritize destructive projects and intensified militarization.”

In the Philippines, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites and other military agreements with the United States are mostly located within the ancestral lands and territories of Moro and Indigenous Peoples, contradicting the government’s claim that no US bases exist in the country. On March 11, 2026, US troops began arriving at Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, one of the nine sites designated under EDCA.

For Indigenous Women, the destruction of rivers has immediate and severe impacts on daily life and community survival. “When rivers are destroyed, Indigenous Women bear the brunt of the burden. When rivers are polluted or blocked by dams and other destructive projects, it disrupts livelihoods, threatens food security, and endangers the health and safety of our communities,” said Kim Falyao of Bai Indigenous Women’s Network.

Falyao then called on the public to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities defending their lands and waters, “Defending our rivers is defending land and life, and it is only just.”

The groups demanded the immediate halt to destructive projects that encroach on ancestral lands and waterways, and called for pro-people and pro-environment development that respects Indigenous Peoples’ rights and protects the country’s rivers and natural resources. “Nilulunod ang taong bayan sa mga mapanirang proyekto at sa malawakang korapsyon sa gobyerno, kaya makatarungan lamang ang panawagang lunurin sa pananagutan si Marcos Jr. at ang kanyang mga kasabwat na korporasyon na nagpapahintulot dito,” the groups concluded. # Reference: Funa-ay Claver National Coordinator Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas