Environmental groups are calling for strong action on climate, conservation ahead of SONA
Environmental groups, scientists, and public representatives called for the government to take strong action on climate change, biodiversity protection, and environmental management before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s speech. of the fourth State of the World (SONA), while expressing hope that greater public participation can help solve the country’s environmental challenges.
In the forum “Rooted, Not Poor: The State of the Philippine Environment 2026” held on Friday at the University of the Philippines Diliman, speakers highlighted concerns about environmental degradation, extraction projects, and the protection of environmentalists, while emphasizing the role of citizens and communities in promoting sustainable development.
Director of the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) Mattie Balagat said that environmental organizations are still criticizing the administration’s performance in environmental matters.
“Four years into the administration of Marcos Jr., the decision of the environmental movement is certain: failure. We do not see real climate action-only the worst commercialization of our patrimony, hiding the destruction of companies as ‘green solutions,’ and violently silencing our defenders,” said Mr. Balagat.
Living Laudato Si’ Philippines executive director and national organizer of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas Rodne R. Galicha said strong implementation of environmental policies and science-based decision-making are needed to improve climate resilience.
“Corruption in environmental governance has many faces. It’s not just bribery or theft of public funds. It also happens when political influence overrides science, when environmental laws are enforced selectively, when public resources finance projects that weaken climate resistance, and when communities bear environmental costs while a few enjoy the benefits,” said Mr. Galicha.
Speakers also expressed concern about the effects of large-scale projects on biodiversity and local communities. Representatives of mining-affected communities and Indigenous peoples have called for more protection of natural resources and ancestral lands.
“I hope and pray that if you believe that our forest deserves to be protected, if you believe that our rivers deserve to stay clean, that farmers and fishermen deserve a future, and that our children deserve to inherit a country rich in health, not only in terms of resources, stand with us in this fight,” said Zesirie G. Enggo of the Kasibu Inter-Tribal Response towards Ecological Development (KIRED).
The Secretary General of KATRIBU, Funa-ay Claver, said that the transition to renewable energy must also respect the rights of the people.
“The transition to renewable energy is not ‘right’ if it follows the same model of land grabbing, rights violations, and corporate looting as seen in the extraction programs. A truly just transition is based on justice and respect for Indigenous rights to ancestral land and self-governance,” said Ms. Claver.
The proposed Smokey Mountain Waste-to-Energy project also drew criticism from environmental activists, who called for greater investment in zero-waste systems.
“The government must strengthen RA 9003 and RA 8749 instead of funding false solutions that are toxic and harmful. We want immediate investment in community-based and humane Zero Waste programs that empower our disadvantaged families instead of driving them away. True environmental justice empowers communities to manage resources safely, rather than burning our future,” said Plastic Shee. EcoWaste Coalition.
The forum also highlighted the situation of land and environmental defenders. Emmanuel Acosta, organizer of the Defend Negros Network, called for accountability in cases involving human rights violations.
“The government’s efforts to stop the killings and other human rights violations against land and environmental defenders reveal its deep involvement in pacifying dissent. As Marcos Jr. prepares to implement gains in agriculture and anti-insurgency efforts in his upcoming SONA, the public must remember that the food on our tables is often produced at the cost of farmers’ blood, said Mr. Acos in pursuit of justice.
Closing the event, IBON Foundation director Jose Enrique “Sonny” A. Afrika emphasized that development should benefit people and the environment.
“The high level of middle income that comes from growth that robs our land, water, and mountains to enrich the few while making communities poor is not progress. Our hope for democratic politics, stability, and real development lies in the people, not in the trapos and capitalists who caused the problem to begin with,” said Mr. Africa.
Despite the concerns expressed, the participants expressed hope that strong public engagement, accountability, and cooperation between communities, scientists, and lawyers can help improve environmental protection and sustainable development in the country. – Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba
