Panay Groups Mark Earth Day 2025 With Protests

1 of 5

By Juliane Judilla

In observance of Earth Day, environmental and cause-oriented groups held simultaneous protest actions across Panay on April 22 to highlight environmental issues and denounce projects they say harm both people and nature.

In Iloilo, multi-sectoral progressive groups staged a picket protest in front of the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, calling for sustainable development that does not come at the cost of lives, rights or the environment.

John Ian Alenciaga, coordinator of the Jalaur River for the People Movement (JRPM), reiterated concerns over the environmental and social impacts of the Jalaur Mega Dam.

“Jalaur Dam is a scam,” Alenciaga said.

“The people have nothing to hope for from this mega dam. The project is almost 80% complete, yet those affected still haven’t received proper compensation.”

He said relocation efforts failed to support displaced communities’ livelihoods and that there has been no justice for victims of human rights violations.

“The promise of irrigation is meaningless because lands are being converted into subdivisions and for commercial use,” he added.

The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project, also known as the Jalaur Mega Dam, has faced criticism for displacing thousands of indigenous Tumandok people and being located near an active fault line.

Groups like JRPM link the project to human rights abuses, including the 2020 Tumandok massacre, in which nine indigenous leaders were killed in a military operation.

Alek Padrones of OIKOS Ecological Movement Panay urged the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate within municipal waters, traditionally reserved for small-scale fisherfolk.

Padrones said local fishing communities fear that allowing large vessels in these waters will deplete marine resources and threaten their livelihoods.

The Supreme Court ruling permits commercial fishing in waters deeper than 7.3 fathoms, or 42 feet, which covers nearly 90% of municipal waters.

Matthew Gonzaga of Anakbayan Panay Island raised alarm over a declaration by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Western Visayas (MGB-6), proposing a 3,000-hectare mineral reservation in upland areas of Patnongon, San Remigio, Valderrama and Sibalom.

Gonzaga said the designation would open the door to mining exploration and operations that could lead to environmental destruction, soil erosion and widespread loss of biodiversity.

“We are calling for an end to destructive mining and supporting a moratorium in the province of Antique,” he said.

In Capiz, protest actions included a fluvial parade that traveled from Culasi to People’s Park, Baybay and Cogon.

Four watercrafts, each carrying five individuals, joined the parade with messages calling for the reversal of the Supreme Court ruling on commercial fishing, the abolition of the Fisheries Code of 1998 and the implementation of genuine fisheries reform policies. (Photos from BAYAN- Panay)