Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
Special to ICT
Around the world: Hydropower expansion disrupts Indigenous communities in Philippines, Canadian Medical Association apologizes for harm caused to Indigenous Peoples, Japanese-Uyghur lawmaker urges Tokyo to strengthen stance on China.
PHILIPPINES: Hydropower expansion disrupts Indigenous communities
In the mountains of Kalinga province, northern Philippines, once-close village communities have grown distant. Friendly greetings between neighbors tending farmlands have faded, replaced by avoidant glances or hostile stares. Mongabay reported on Sept. 18.
“We don’t talk much like before,” says Gohn Dangoy, a 59-year-old farmer of the Naneng tribe in Kalinga’s Tabuk city, according to Mongabay. “If we do, we argue. Families and friends alike are at odds.” He says the “deep division” started because of the proposed dam on the Chico River.
In the municipality of Balbalan, west of Tabuk, locals live in constant fear as military operations coincide with the arrival of hydropower projects. Eufemia Bog-as, a resident, recalls waking up to bombings in March 2023.
“It was like an earthquake. I heard a big boom six times,” she says, describing how explosions shattered the calm night after their annual Manchachatong festival, according to Mongabay. The government claimed they were targeting rebels opposing the dams, but Bog-as believes that resistance to development is being used as a pretext: “They told us, it’s because we’re against development.”
Kalinga, part of the Cordillera region in northern Philippines, is home to Indigenous Igorot communities. For more than five decades, the government has been in conflict with communist rebels in the countryside, with military posts often set up in rural areas to suppress dissent. Now, the government is focused on harnessing the region’s resources for renewable energy, particularly hydropower.
Since 2015, the Department of Energy has approved 99 hydropower projects in the Cordillera, with the capacity to generate over 4,000 megawatts of electricity. These projects, however, are dividing communities—some support the modernization, while others worry about the destruction of farmlands, water sources, and burial sites.
Both local and national governments strongly support these hydropower projects. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has portrayed himself as a climate leader, emphasizing the importance of renewable energy in his 2023 state-of-the-nation address. He announced plans to increase renewables to 35 percent of the power mix by 2030, and the Cordillera region, with its 13 major river systems, is central to this goal, holding about 30 percent of the country’s hydropower potential.
However, for many Indigenous communities, this wave of development brings back memories of past struggles. In the 1970s, the communities in Kalinga, led by the revered Macli-ing Dulag, successfully fought against a massive dam project on the Chico River. Dulag was assassinated by state forces, but his death sparked a broader movement to protect ancestral lands, and the dam project was eventually scrapped.
Since then, only a small micro-dam has been constructed in Kalinga, but it was shut down in 2021 due to decreased water supply for irrigation. Now, 19 new hydropower projects are planned for the province, with several targeting the iconic Chico River.
One of the major players, Australian-owned JBD Water Power Inc. is pushing four projects—two on the Saltan River and two on the Cal-oan River. While some areas are still in the consultation phase, others, like the village of Mabaca, have firmly opposed the dams. In March 2023 and August 2024, Mabaca’s leaders filed petitions with the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples to halt the 45-MW Mabaca 2 Dam, asserting that the river is an integral part of their ancestral domain.
Despite this opposition, JBD Water Power argues that the hydropower project will bring economic benefits, such as jobs, cheaper electricity, and revenue for the community. Jermito Jacinto, a Buaya tribe elder now working as a JBD Water Power consultant, dismisses the resistance as outdated thinking. “The Cal-oan River is full of honey and sugar, but we don’t know how to use it,” he says, according to Mongabay. However, nearby villages, including Mabaca, fear that even small disruptions to the river could damage their fields and traditional way of life.
Former Balbalan mayor, Eric Gonayon, is critical of the promises made by hydropower companies. “They won’t develop the roads; they’ll only use them to relocate us from our heritage for the benefit of foreigners and businesses,” he says, according to Mongabay. Gonayon is also skeptical of the revenue the projects are projected to generate, likening the situation to receiving “a piece of candy in exchange for the whole shop.”
In Tabuk, farther east, the Karayan Hydropower Corporation is pursuing a 52-MW dam on the Chico River. Tribal representatives have expressed concerns about the consultation process, citing bribery and the exclusion of those opposed to the dam.
Members of the Naneng tribe, whose area has been designated as a heritage village, fear that the dam will submerge their rice fields and ancestral burial sites. “The ones who said yes were either bribed or unaffected!” says Dangoy, a farmer from Tabuk, according to Mongabay.
Despite these allegations, the NCIP insists that all affected residents were properly consulted. Some local leaders, like Bagumbayan village captain Andrew Cos-agom, support the dam, claiming that surveys show minimal impact on the villages. However, Kalinga’s provincial environmental officer, Dominic Sugguiyao, disagrees, warning of risks such as erosion and submersion, which could significantly disrupt the Chico River ecosystem and the communities dependent on it.
Military presence near dam sites has also raised concerns. Civil society groups have documented bombings in Balbalan and surrounding provinces, which they attribute to the military targeting areas opposed to hydropower and mining projects. Human rights organizations accuse the military of acting as “investment defense forces,” using intimidation to pressure communities into accepting the projects.
In Balbalan, where Bog-as witnessed the bombings, locals feel the military doesn’t differentiate between civilian dissent and insurgent activity. “We hear it from the soldiers themselves; they blame us progressives for keeping them here because we don’t want their dams or mines,” she explains.
As the government pushes forward with its renewable energy plans, many Cordillera communities find themselves caught between promises of development and the threat of losing their lands and traditions. For some, this struggle is about more than just environmental concerns—it’s a fight for their existence. The ongoing tension between progress and preservation remains a complex and unresolved issue in the region.
CANADA: Canadian Medical Association issues historic apology for mistreatment of Indigenous people
The Canadian Medical Association expresses being “deeply ashamed” and “deeply sorry” for both the historical and ongoing harms that the medical profession has inflicted upon First Nation, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. CBC News reported on Sept.18.
The Canadian Medical Association issued its apology during a ceremony in Victoria, held on the traditional lands of the lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ-speaking people from the Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations. The event was accompanied by singers, drummers, dancers, musicians, and storytellers, adding a powerful cultural dimension.
CMA President Dr. Joss Reimer addressed the audience, stating, “The racism and discrimination that Indigenous patients and health-care providers face is deplorable.” She added, according to CBC News, “We acknowledge there are ripple effects on future generations. We take ownership of the CMA’s history, and we are committed to righting our wrongs and rebuilding our relationship on a foundation of trust, accountability, and reciprocity.”
Métis Elder Jim Durocher welcomed the apology as a positive step forward. “It’s going to take a long time because there’s a lot of damage and harm that was done to our people, and many of them, to this day, will not even address that,” Durocher said, according to CBC news. “We need the truth first, and I’m so happy that the Canadian Medical Association has taken the first steps.”
The apology highlighted specific instances of harm, including the Indian Hospital system, which ingrained systemic racism into the Canadian health system, along with forced and coerced sterilizations, medical experimentation on Indigenous children in residential schools, forced malnourishment, medical experimentation on Indigenous adults, child apprehensions, and widespread neglect and abuse.
Dr. Alika Lafontaine, the CMA’s first Indigenous president, emphasized that real change will require collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. “It’s a chapter that we hope First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples can write with us together as we work toward a health system that provides Indigenous Peoples with the right care, at the right time, in the right place, in a good way.”
Dr. Esther Tailfeathers, a family physician from the Kainai Nation in southern Alberta, acknowledges that while the apology is a step in the right direction, significant work remains. She reflected on her experience as an Indigenous person working within the health-care system, describing it as “being stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
“You recognize the treatment of your people as patients in the medical system, and it’s overwhelming throughout the years,” Tailfeathers said, according to CBC News. “But when you’re working in the emergency room, you also face the stress of attending to serious medical issues without the time to address the underlying biases. It’s a difficult place to be.”
Despite these challenges, Dr. Tailfeathers welcomed the apology. “I’m very welcoming of this news because I know that it’s going to alleviate a lot of the tension that Indigenous physicians and Indigenous front-line workers feel when working with colleagues who don’t even recognize their biases. Recognizing the harm done to patients is crucial. I feel solidarity and empathy. I feel hope that things can be different.”
CHINA: Japanese-Uyghur lawmaker urges Tokyo to strengthen stance on China
A Japanese lawmaker of Uyghur descent has urged Tokyo to adopt a firmer stance against China’s human rights violations targeting the 12 million predominantly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group residing in northwestern China. Radio Free Asia reported on Sept. 18.
“Egregious human rights violations occurring in the Uyghur region is one of the greatest, and certainly a generation-defining, human rights crises of our time,” Arfiya Eri, a 35-year-old member of Japan’s more powerful lower house of parliament, according to Radio Free Asia.
“The international community, including Japan, must do its part to ensure that we do not set a precedent where such violations go unaccounted for under our watch,” she stated, according to Radio Free Asia, reaffirming comments made earlier this month at the Sydney Dialogue, organized by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The annual summit in Sydney emphasizes critical, emerging, and cyber technologies.
In 2023, Eri was elected to Japan’s Diet, or parliament, as a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, representing a district just east of Tokyo. Raised in Japan, she is the first person of Uyghur descent to be elected to the Diet.
Eri’s position holds both personal and symbolic significance, according to Uyghur activists, as it draws attention to the experiences of those directly impacted by the human rights violations in Xinjiang. Her role underscores the moral responsibility for Japan to act.
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in the Philippines. What is happening in the Indigenous communities of the Cordillera region is a grave injustice. The militarization of these communities, ostensibly to suppress opposition to hydropower projects, is deeply troubling. Bombings, intimidation, and coercion are being used against Indigenous peoples, who are simply trying to protect their ancestral lands and way of life.
The government’s push for large-scale hydropower projects—without genuine community consultation and consent—disregards the rights of the Igorot people and their rich cultural heritage. This pattern of imposing “development” at the cost of Indigenous communities is not only unethical but also unsustainable.
Indigenous communities play a critical role in environmental conservation. Their traditional knowledge and deep connection to their land have, for generations, safeguarded ecosystems and preserved biodiversity. The Igorot people’s successful resistance in the 1970s against the Chico River dam serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting Indigenous lands.
Studies show that areas managed by Indigenous peoples often experience lower rates of deforestation and environmental degradation compared to areas managed by the state or corporations. These communities understand how to live sustainably, respecting nature’s limits while maintaining their livelihoods. Ignoring their voices not only threatens their survival but also undermines global conservation efforts.
A way forward must center on respecting Indigenous rights and giving these communities control over their lands. The government must prioritize ‘Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)’ processes that are transparent, inclusive, and free from coercion or bribery. Hydropower projects, if truly necessary, must be subject to rigorous environmental and social impact assessments, with full involvement of local communities at every stage. Investments in smaller-scale, community-driven renewable energy solutions, such as micro-dams or solar projects, should be considered as an alternative to massive, disruptive dams.
International organizations, environmental groups, and human rights advocates should amplify the voices of these Indigenous communities, ensuring that their struggles gain global attention. Conservation efforts that center Indigenous knowledge and practices are essential for both climate resilience and social justice. By respecting their rights and protecting their lands, we protect some of the planet’s most vital ecosystems and honor the people who have been their stewards for centuries.
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