Indigenous community in Mountain Province rejects geothermal development plan

BAGUIO CITY — A community in Bontoc, Mountain Province filed a formal resolution this week opposing a proposed geothermal energy development by the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), escalating concerns over the project's potential impact on indigenous territories in the Cordillera region.

Barangay Guina-ang submitted its resolution to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples office in the Cordillera on Wednesday, marking a significant show of local resistance to the energy initiative. The community is demanding that EDC immediately cease ongoing geoscientific studies and exclude their area from the project's development plans.

The opposition reflects growing tensions between energy development goals and the rights of indigenous communities in the Philippines' highland regions. Mountain Province, home to several indigenous ethnic groups, has increasingly become a focal point for renewable energy projects seeking to harness the region's geothermal potential.

The action comes as the government pursues expanded geothermal capacity to meet the country's rising energy demands. However, residents and indigenous rights advocates have raised concerns about environmental impacts, land rights, and the adequacy of community consultation processes for such large-scale projects.

The NCIP, the constitutional body mandated to protect indigenous peoples' rights, is expected to review the community's formal objection in coming weeks.