Oriental Mindoro’s Mangyan demands equity amid renewable energy push

ORIENTAL MINDORO, Philippines — At the foot of Mount Halcon resides one of the seven communities of the Alangan Mangyan who continue to have limited or no access to electricity despite the five years of operation of the Catuiran hydroelectric power plant built on their ancestral land.

“Mangyan” is the collective term for the indigenous peoples of the island of Mindoro, consisting of eight groups, including the Alangan. Most of the Alangan in Oriental Mindoro live in Naujan, where the plant was constructed.

The transition to renewable energy in the Philippines has long been advocated under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. This is in response to the worsening climate change, with the use of fossil fuels being a contributing factor. The government aims for 50% of the country's energy mix to be renewable by 2050.

However, as these kinds of projects enter ancestral lands, it remains unclear to the Alangan what benefits they bring to their community.

According to Prince Turtogo, national coordinator of the Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples' Rights, “it is important to distinguish that not every renewable energy initiative aligns with or embodies the principles of a just transition.” 

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation states that a just transition aims to ensure that individuals, groups, and communities, including indigenous peoples directly affected by energy production, carbon-intensive industries, and the climate crisis, receive the benefits of this transformation.

As promised by Sta. Clara Corp., the original proponent of the project before it was transferred to Catuiran Hydropower Corp., the affected barangays are entitled to a lower cost of electricity. The Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001 was cited as the basis for this, but the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) did not specify how this would be achieved. Although the law includes various subsidies, it does not specify which groups are privileged to receive lower electricity prices.

Robin* (not his real name), an Alangan, expressed, “Even if this promise was fulfilled, electricity is still expensive for us.”

Many Alangans lack access to electricity due to its expensive