INTEGRAL ECOLOGY: Dupax and some lessons from Bukidnon’s past*
LIBONA, Bukidnon (MindaNews / 02 February) — To shed light on what is happening in Dupax (Nueva Vizcaya) today, it is helpful to look back at the multisectoral ecological struggle, which emerged in 1999 in Wao — a municipality that belongs politically to Lanao del Sur but ecclesiastically to the Diocese of Malaybalay. The unfolding of events leads me to link Bukidnon’s past to Nueva Vizcaya’s present.
The Wao Ecological Struggle
As a territory within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Wao fell outside the jurisdiction of the Bukidnon logging moratorium declared in 1990. Conflict emerged because the adjacent municipality of Kalilangan — the southwestern gateway to Bukidnon — frequently suffered from devastating floods caused by the surrounding denuded mountains. Residents attributed this to the rapid deforestation of the Calaga Range in Lanao del Sur, driven by the logging operations of Timber Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (TIPI).
The link between the Calaga Range’s deforestation and the flooding in low-lying Kalilangan was unmistakable. Furthermore, TIPI’s massive operations reportedly damaged the Lake Lanao watershed, which sustained a hydroelectric plant supplying approximately 70 percent of Mindanao’s electricity. Consequently, the ecological fallout of TIPI’s operations became a regional crisis affecting the broader Mindanao area.
Logging and the Power of Petition
Recognizing the widespread damage, concerned residents of Wao were the first to sound the alarm. They initially demanded the cancellation of TIPI’s Timber License Agreement (TLA) and called for a total log ban in the ARMM. To achieve this, they launched a series of church-led petitions endorsed by the then-Bishop of Malaybalay, Honesto Pacana. The first petition was sent on November 29, 1995, by the Priests and Religious Assembly to then-DENR Secretary Victor Ramos. A second petition, signed by 7,153 citizens, was sent to President Joseph Estrada on December 25, 1998. Bishop Pacana followed up on February 25, 1999, on behalf of 250 delegates from the Diocesan Pastoral General Assembly.
This sustained pressure eventually forced Antonio Cerilles, Ramos’s successor, to issue a memorandum on April 14, 1999, establishing a temporary logging moratorium in the ARMM. However, this was revoked just two months later, on June 11, 1999.
The Birth of a Multisectoral Coalition
The revocation prompted the Wao parish priest Cosme Almedilla (now Bishop of Butuan) and the parish Social Action Center (SAC-Wao) to resort to extralegal measures. They formed a human barricade in Panang, Wao, to block TIPI’s logging trucks. This move provoked TIPI supporters to stage a counter-barricade. Following death threats against Fr. Almedilla and SAC-Wao chair Edna Espinosa, the protesters temporarily dismantled their barricade on September 28, 1999, to avoid a violent confrontation.
Media people covered the historic human barricade against TIPI at Barangay Kalasungay in the highways of Malaybalay City in 1999. Photo courtesy of Christian Inovejas.
This interregnum proved to be a blessing in disguise, allowing SAC-Wao to strategize and consolidate its efforts. The movement evolved into a truly multisectoral ecological struggle. Realizing that church-based advocacy alone was insufficient for such a complex issue, the group sought the expertise of other disciplines and grassroots movements. A tactical alliance with civil society environmental groups—including Task Force Macajalar (TFM) and the People’s Alliance for Change (PEACE)—dramatically strengthened the cause. This coalition eventually expanded locally, drawing in Muslims, students, legal experts, indigenous peoples, and local government units.
207 Kilometers of Resistance
These civil society groups demonstrated their resolve by forming human barricades along the 207-kilometer route from Wao to the ports in Cagayan de Oro City. On November 28, 1999, to maximize public visibility, protesters moved their barricade to a strategic highway in Maramag. For 12 days, they successfully held 40 truckloads of logs. However, at dawn on December 10, 1999, roughly 300 Philippine National Police officers arrived with a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and violently dispersed the crowd, releasing the impounded trucks.
Knowing the TRO was only valid in Maramag, the protesters established new barricades in Valencia, Malaybalay, and Impasug-ong. They held 23 trucks until December 16, 1999, when drivers forcefully broke through the lines in Valencia and Barangay Aglayan. This aggression galvanized hundreds of residents in Barangay Kalasungay, who took to the streets and successfully blocked the convoy once again.
Legal Victory and the Power of the Laity
The activists held the logs—valued at US$270,000—until January 24, 2000, when TIPI was forced to surrender the cargo to the provincial government. The subsequent legal battle reached the Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled in favor of the protesters. This victory serves as a testament to the power of a unified ecological struggle.
These events offer profound lessons. They demonstrate that in civil society-led movements, leadership should devolve from the clergy to competent laypeople. This model aligns with the Vatican II thrust of strengthening lay participation and “ad extra” church apostolates. In this ecclesiology, the Church does not stand above civil society but acts as an equal partner. By assuming a supportive role, the clergy enables the laity to fulfill their inherent political tasks, proving that the protection of our “common home” requires a collaborative, multisectoral network of stakeholders.
Contemporary Echoes of Ecological Activism in Dupax del Norte
In this era of climate emergency, we must collectively practice ecological virtues—not only through low-emission lifestyles and waste management but through the active protection of our vital watersheds. In Dupax del Norte, these practices are not merely lifestyle choices; they are a necessary defense of the forests and river basins that sustain the entire Cagayan Valley. These efforts should not be viewed as optional but as a foundational commitment to our common home.
It is equally vital to prophetically denounce ecological sins, particularly the unauthorized uprooting of trees and the threat of large-scale mining that endangers our food security and water sources. We must fearlessly advocate for ecological justice by supporting the people’s barricades and standing in solidarity with the farmers and Indigenous Peoples who face harassment for defending their ancestral lands. Ecological activism is an imperative: we must hold perpetrators accountable and ensure they equitably bear the cost of repairing the damage they have caused to our community.
As Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum remind us, the demands for justice rising from below—from the very barricades to the halls of power—can pressure those in authority to prioritize life over profit. Unless we, as citizens, exercise control over our regional and municipal political power, the irreversible destruction of our environment will continue unchecked (LD no. 38).
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Fr. Reynaldo D. Raluto is the parish priest of Jesus Nazareno Parish in Libona, Bukidnon. He is the author of the book ‘Integral Ecology Ministry: Doing Ecological Theology and Advocacy in Light of Laudato Si,’ published in September 2025 by the Mindanao Institute of Journalism.)
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*For a more detailed narrative of ecological activism in Bukidnon, see Reynaldo D. Raluto, Integral Ecology Ministry: Ecological Theology and Advocacy in Light of Laudato Si’ (Davao City: Mindanao Institute of Journalism, 2025), 146-161.
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