PHOTO: Ongoing construction of headquarters building in the EDCA site.
Indigenous Molbog leaders from Palawan, joined by environmental advocates and progressive groups, on Monday renewed opposition to U.S.-backed military and land-use projects in Balabac, Palawan, warning that the developments threaten their ancestral lands, livelihoods, and environment.
At a press conference, Molbog representatives Emanuel San Esteban and Anjilon Flores criticized the expansion of facilities under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and government-backed environmental programs that they said have encroached on Indigenous communities.
Lucky Oraller, coordinator of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Timog Katagalugan (BAYAN-TK), said the Molbog community’s experience reflects broader geopolitical and economic interests driving U.S. military expansion in the Philippines.
He argued that portraying EDCA as protection against potential Chinese aggression obscures what activists described as the agreement’s underlying military and economic objectives.
Environmental group Kalikasan Timog Katagalugan said projects in Balabac, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Enhanced National Greening Program (E-NGP), have affected Indigenous communities while allegedly serving as offsets for environmental damage linked to mining operations.
Presenters at the forum also raised concerns over a base development plan covering hundreds of hectares of ancestral land and cited the construction of an EDCA-linked air base in the area.
“The construction of the EDCA air base and the implementation of the E-NGP prioritize U.S. strategic and corporate interests over the welfare of the Molbog community and the environment,” said Bianca Nicole Intia, public information officer of Kalikasan TK.
San Esteban and Flores said members of the Molbog community did not give consent when they were initially approached regarding the EDCA project.
“The Molbog land does not belong to Trump. Stop EDCA. The Molbog nation does not need it,” San Esteban said.
Flores also criticized the E-NGP, saying the program had adversely affected local livelihoods. Both leaders said they are exploring legal remedies over what they described as land-grabbing issues.
During the event, indigenous peoples’ advocacy group KATRIBU drew parallels between the Molbog situation and challenges faced by other Indigenous communities across the country, including Aeta communities in Central Luzon.
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio expressed solidarity with the Molbog people and pledged to file a resolution and support advocacy efforts related to their concerns.
BAYAN executive committee member Mong Palatino linked local environmental conflicts to what he described as global military expansion and imperialist competition, saying opposition to the projects would continue during the expected visit of U.S. President Donald Trump for ASEAN-related events.
“The Balabac case is a microcosm of global preparations for imperialist war and plunder,” Palatino said. “The Filipino people are not afraid to express their indignation. Expect to see that during Trump’s visit.” # (ZIA LUNA)
