13/07/2026
Last July 10, the Environmental and Agricultural Development Committee proudly participated in the forum "Plundered, Not Poor: State of the Philippine Environment 2026" held at the UP Diliman Institute of Biology Auditorium. The discussion served as a powerful reminder that the worsening environmental crisis in the Philippines is not the result of scarcity or a lack of natural resources, but of decades of exploitation, unsustainable development, and policies that continue to favor corporate interests over the welfare of both people and the environment. The forum highlighted the realities faced by environmental defenders, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and grassroots organizations who continue to protect the country's natural resources despite harassment, displacement, and other forms of repression.
The discussions emphasized that the persistent destruction of forests, mountains, rivers, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands is deeply rooted in a system that allows large corporations, political elites, and bureaucrat-capitalist interests to profit from environmental exploitation. Mining, land conversion, reclamation projects, deforestation, and pollution continue to threaten biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos. As environmental degradation worsens, it is ordinary communitiesโ especially farmers, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, and the youthโ who bear the greatest burden of climate disasters, food insecurity, and ecological loss. More than a discussion of the country's current environmental conditions, the forum became a call to strengthen collective action, amplify the voices of environmental defenders, and continue advocating for genuine environmental justice, sustainable development, and accountability.
As volunteers ng bayan the Environmental and Agricultural Development Committee, we remain committed to transforming these learnings into concrete actions that uphold the people's right to a healthy, protected, and sustainable environment.
