08/11/2025
My friends in Quezon Province,
I’m writing to you from the mountains of Benguet. My heart is heavy with a warning, and I feel I must reach out to you directly. I’ve been seeing the news about the corporations Alternergy and, more specifically, Calavite Passage Wind Power Corporation, taking over the wind power projects in your beautiful Tayabas. And to be honest, it sent a chill down my spine.
Why does a person from Benguet care so deeply about what happens in Quezon? Because we know this story. We’ve seen the promises of "progress" that come with a heavy price tag—a price paid by our land, our water, and our people. When I look at your Sierra Madre, I see the same majestic, life-giving spirit that lives in our Cordillera mountains. They are not just landscapes; they are our protectors, our ancestors, our home.
And what I see happening is Calavite Passage Wind Power Corp. preparing to build 26 industrial windmills in that sacred place. But please, don't picture the small, old-fashioned windmills of the past.
Imagine this instead:
Each one of these 26 windmills will be ametal giant, as tall as a 40- to 50-story skyscraper. Their blades will sweep through the air with a wingspan longer than a jumbo jet. To make way for these giants, vast areas of forest will be cleared. Wide, heavy-duty roads will be blasted into the mountainsides just to transport the parts. These are not gentle additions to the landscape; they are a permanent industrial takeover.
They are asking you to trade the very thing that protects you from typhoons for a project they will profit from.
Please, hear me clearly: This Calavite project in Tayabas is the first crack in the dam. If we allow these 26 metal giants to rise in your province, it tells every other corporation that the entire Sierra Madre is up for grabs. Your fight in Quezon is not just a local issue—it is the frontline battle for the soul of our country's last great natural shield.
I am scared for you. I am scared that the gentle giants of your forests will fall, and the silence that follows will be filled only by the constant, low-frequency whirring of these turbines. I am scared that the real, muddy, painful cost of this "clean energy" will be borne by your communities for generations.
But I also have hope. Because the people of the mountains are strong. We know how to fight for what we love.
So, from my heart to yours, here is what I beg you to do:
1. Name the name and see the scale. When you talk about this, say Calavite Passage Wind Power Corporation. Tell your neighbors and community leaders about the 26 skyscraper-sized industrial turbines they plan to erect. Make everyone understand the massive scale of this invasion.
2. Protect your home. Your local leaders need to hear your voice. Ask them, face-to-face: "Will you stand with us, the people of Quezon, or will you stand with Calavite and their 26 metal giants?"
3. Let them know you're watching. Go to the official pages of Alternergy and the Department of Energy. Leave a message: "We see the 26 skyscrapers you're planning. Calavite Passage Wind Power Corp., hands off our Sierra Madre!"
4. Find your allies. Link arms with your neighbors. There is incredible strength in a community that stands as one against a corporation.
There are always other ways to create energy. But there is no other Sierra Madre. There is no other Quezon.
Do not let Calavite Passage Wind Power Corporation plant their 26 metal flags in the heart of your mountains. The future is watching, and it will remember who stood up to say, "Not here. Not on our watch."
With solidarity and hope,
A friend from the mountains of Benguet.
