Civil society groups, Church leaders, workers, and fisherfolk organizations will lead the People’s March for Environmental Justice and Good Governance at 9 a.m. Friday, June 27, a day before the inauguration of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson’s third term.
The march will begin at San Sebastian Cathedral, proceed along Gatuslao Street, and culminate at the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol, Joshua Villalobos of the of the Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE) said Tuesday, June 24.
The marchers will carry a People’s Environment Agenda to the gates of the Provincial Capitol, outlining concrete policy demands for the incoming provincial leadership, Villalobos said in a press release
The document, crafted by grassroots organizations and environmental advocates, envisions a just, participatory, and ecologically balanced Negros, he said.
This collective action aims to amplify urgent calls for environmental protection, climate justice, and transparent, accountable governance as the province enters a new political term, he said.
At the heart of the protest—titled “Kalibutan kag Katawhan Pamatian”—are the voices of communities confronting environmental degradation and exclusion from local decision-making, he said.
Villabos said among the pressing concerns raised are:
*The worsening ecological and human rights conditions in Candoni due to the palm oil plantation;
*The Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishing within 15-kilometer municipal waters, threatening small fisherfolk and marine biodiversity; and
*The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) approval of magnetite mining projects from Sipalay to Sagay without proper consultation with local communities.
“This is a moment to remind our leaders that progress must not come at the expense of people and the planet,” Villalobos said,
“We demand a government that listens, acts decisively, and upholds justice — for this generation and the next”, he added.
Organizers also expressed concern over Negros’ continued dependence on fossil fuels and its failure to ensure meaningful public participation in environmental decision-making.
While officials have issued responses to past campaigns, communities say concrete actions remain absent, Villalobos said.
“We march not just in protest but in hope,” said Fr. Julius Espinosa, Director of the Caritas Bacolod Social Action Foundation Inc.
“Hope that our leaders will hear the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor—and act with conscience and courage”, he said.
“Environmental destruction and land grabbing don’t just displace communities—they also displace workers,” said Jun Ano of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino – Negros. “We demand jobs that protect both people and planet—not exploit them”, he said
The Negros Workers Development Center also called attention to how extractive projects affect the most vulnerable.
“Women, children, and informal workers are the first to suffer when natural resources are plundered,” said Priscilla Goco, Executive Director of NWDC.
“We need inclusive governance that puts people—not profits—at the center of development”, she said.,
Youth and food justice advocates are likewise marching to push back against corporate greed and environmental neglect.
“We feed people, not profits,” said Jedd Ortilla of Food Not Bombs Bacolod. “Negros must not be a playground for destructive industries. We call for food sovereignty and ecological integrity”, he added.
“The land and seas are sacred—gifts that must be shared and protected,” said Fr. Jolo Tormis of Lunhaw – Diocese of San Carlos.
The action is spearheaded by a broad alliance of organizations, including: Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino – Negros (BMP-Negros), Caritas Bacolod Social Action Foundation, Inc. (CaBSAFI);
Negros Workers Development Center (NWDC), Food Not Bombs Bacolod City, Lunhaw – Diocese of San Carlos, Negros Anti-Mining Alliance (NAMA), Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Negrosanon Young Leaders Institute Inc. (NYLI) , Reboot Philippines, DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism;
Children Optimization for the Revitalization of Environment (CORE) , Alyansa, Amity Youth Volunteer Organization, Sanlakas, Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), Pagkakaisa ng mga Maralita ng Lungsod (KPML), USLS University Student Government, Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement – Negros, and Panay-Negros-Guimaras Crab Fishers Alliance (PANEG-CA) and other organizations.*