Ancestral Lands Are Not Landfills
By Ivy Betalmos
The Philippines has long recognized the rights of Indigenous Peoples, yet recent reports alleging that mountains of city waste were dumped on the ancestral lands of the Aeta community raise a disturbing question: Are these rights truly being protected, or are they being sacrificed for convenience?
For generations, the Aeta have served as faithful stewards of forests and mountains. Their ancestral lands are more than property. They are their home, their source of food and water, and the foundation of their culture and identity. Turning these lands into dumping grounds does not merely pollute the environment, it threatens the survival of an entire community.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is mandated to protect the country’s natural resources and ensure that environmental laws are enforced. If these allegations are proven true, the agency must be held accountable for how such an environmental injustice was allowed to happen. Environmental protection cannot exist only on paper while Indigenous communities bear the burden of waste generated elsewhere.
Some may argue that every city needs a place to dispose of its garbage. However, solving one environmental problem by creating another is not a solution, it is negligence. A clean city should never come at the expense of polluted ancestral lands and displaced Indigenous communities.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) recognizes the Aeta’s right to their ancestral domains and requires respect for their welfare and participation in decisions affecting their lands. Ignoring these rights undermines not only the law but also the country’s commitment to environmental justice and human dignity.
The government must conduct a transparent investigation, hold accountable those responsible if violations occurred, and ensure that affected communities are consulted and protected. Sustainable waste management should prioritize proper disposal, recycling, and environmental responsibility, not the exploitation of vulnerable communities.
A nation cannot claim to value both environmental protection and Indigenous rights while allowing one to be sacrificed for the other. The Aeta deserve more than promises. They deserve justice, respect, and the assurance that their ancestral lands will never become the price of someone else’s convenience.
A clean city means nothing if it is built on a mountain of injustice.