The Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera joins Indigenous Peoples across the globe in commemorating the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. We continue to be in solidarity as Indigenous Peoples assert and defend their rights to ancestral domain and self-determination and fight against systemic and institutional discrimination.
We firmly reiterate the call for the fulfillment and protection of our right to self-determined development, especially since the ancestral domains of Indigenous Peoples are the last enduring ecological frontiers.
The province of Apayao has been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This recognition is a testament to the region’s ecological richness and cultural significance. The designation as a biosphere reserve signals the world’s recognition to protect the invaluable ecosystems of Indigenous communities[1]. Subsequently, protection and conservation programs must include the cessation of construction of large-scale hydropower projects and mining ventures. To date, the government is pushing for 885 MW hydroelectric power projects in the province.
Apayao’s forest is a stronghold for the majestic Philippine eagle. Several studies show that dams negatively impact bird species. Dams disrupt natural waterways, altering habitats and migratory patterns. Many bird species, which rely on these ecosystems for nesting and feeding, face population declines as their habitats are submerged or degraded[2]. Proposals to build eight dams along the Apayao River and its tributaries threaten to undermine the region’s milestone achievement as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
In the recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we are deeply concerned by the absence of any specific programs or policies addressing the rights and welfare of Indigenous Peoples. This oversight is particularly alarming given the ongoing human rights violations and large-scale development aggression in our communities.
As of May 2024, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau shows 105 mining tenements in the Cordillera region, while the Department of Energy awarded 102 hydropower projects in its March 2024 data. The imposition of these destructive projects blatantly disregards our right to self-determined development.
Human rights violations in indigenous communities continue to be unabated, with impunity. The ongoing implementation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict program and the Anti-Terrorism Law has subjected Indigenous Peoples who defend and assert their rights to political persecution. Redtagging or Terrorist tagging on people’s organizations, leaders, and members of civil society remains a practice by State security forces, despite the Supreme Court ruling that red-tagging is a threat to the life, liberty, and security of individuals, their families, and communities.
We call on the local government of Apayao, the Cordillera Regional Development Council, and the national government to review and rescind laws, policies, and programs that are detrimental to the protection and conservation of Apayao as a biosphere reserve and the entire Cordillera biodiversity. Review and revoke the permits granted to 102 hydropower projects and 105 mining tenements. We join the public and UN Special Rapporteurs in calling for the termination of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict program and the rescission of the repressive Anti-Terrorism Law.
[1] Gozum, Iya. (2024). Apayao is the Philippines’ 4th biosphere reserve. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/apayao-declared-biosphere-reserve-unesco-july-2024/
[2] See Reitan, Ole & Thingstad, Per. (1999). Response of birds to damming – A review of the influence of lakes, dams, and reservoirs on bird ecology; and Wu, H. et al. (2019). Effects of dam construction on biodiversity: A review.