📷: Katribu
Indigenous Peoples and environmental advocates staged a protest at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday to mark the International Day of Action for Rivers, denouncing large dams and energy projects they say destroy river systems and displace communities.
Led by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas, demonstrators symbolically “drowned” the faces of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., government agencies, and corporations they accused of plundering ancestral lands and waterways.
Katribu’s Funa-ay Claver warned that hydropower and extractive projects deepen Indigenous suffering amid the economic crisis, citing government data showing over 400 hydropower projects nationwide, many within Indigenous territories.
Groups pointed to the Kaliwa Dam in Sierra Madre, the Jalaur River project in Panay, and Pulangi V in Bukidnon as examples of projects threatening communities and ecosystems.
Sandugo’s Julieta Gomez stressed that river destruction is often accompanied by militarization and rights violations, recalling the 2012 killing of anti-Pulangi activist Margarito Cabal.
Advocates also linked the energy push to global conflicts driving oil price hikes, criticizing the government for prioritizing corporate-led projects over basic services.
Indigenous women leaders highlighted the disproportionate impact on livelihoods, food security, and community health.
Protesters demanded an immediate halt to destructive projects and accountability for officials and corporations, declaring: “Defending our rivers is defending land and life.” # (ZIA LUNA)
