Twenty five years since the Electric Power Industry Reform Act’s (EPIRA) passage which promised lower rates, greater competition, and improved services have failed to materialize. Instead, the law strengthened the control of private corporations over the power sector while Filipino consumers continue to pay some of the highest electricity rates in Asia.Marcos Jr’s rhetoric about a “green transition,” “green economy,” and “green lanes,”– all blatant greenwashing of environmental destruction. Such false pretenses expose the collusion of oligarchs and bureaucrat capitalists.
Manuel Pangilinan’s ₱185 billion Terra Solar Project, which has grabbed over 3,500 hectares of land is set to destroy local agricultural production and displace communities.
Enrique Razon’s ₱296 billion Ahunan Dam Pumped-Storage Hydropower Plant has been carving up mountains in Pakil, Laguna. This project poses a huge threat to the community, with fears of landslides and flash floods it could trigger.
Last, let’s not forget Ramon Ang. He’s not just raking in infrastructure deals; he’s also dominating the energy sector with over 30 multi-billion dollar projects here in the Philippines. This lays bare the nature of oligarchic and capitalist bureaucratic plunder—how their collusion never stops devouring every aspect of our daily existence: infrastructure, energy, food, education, and so much more.
Plunder and militarization go hand in hand. Look at Negros, currently being hyped as an “emerging renewable energy hub,” but in reality, the land is soaked red with human rights violations. The massacre in Toboso alone—which claimed 19 lives of both civilians and revolutionary combatants and sparked widespread condemnation—exposes this brutal truth. State forces are not there to keep peace; they’re heavily deployed to escort these corporate projects in and crush any resistance. Whether it’s fast-tracking giant renewable energy schemes or protecting oligarchic interests, the government is systematically clearing the path for capital while hunting down our land and environmental defenders
We, the people, are not against development, however energy should belong to communities and not corporations. “Development” should not be at the cost of our health, lands, and livelihood. Our push for genuine national industrialization persists, where resources serve the people, not just corporate pockets.
