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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Group decries P1.27-B mountain road projects built on Antique's indigenous lands

Group decries P1.27-B mountain road projects built on Antique's indigenous lands

Published Oct 23, 2025 12:16 pm
ONE of the controversial mountain road projects in Laua-an town, Antique province. (Discover Antique)
ONE of the controversial mountain road projects in Laua-an town, Antique province. (Discover Antique)
ILOILO CITY — A group has condemned the construction of P1.27-billion worth of mountain road projects on ancestral lands owned by indigenous peoples (IPs) in Laua-an town in Antique province.
“This strips away the memory, dignity, and the soul of a people,” said Amlig Antique Alliance in a statement this week.
Constructed since 2020, the 14 road projects that cut through the mountain range of central Panay Island that will offer alternate routes between Antique, Iloilo, and Capiz were allegedly implemented without prior consent from the native Iraynon-Bukidnon, a sub-group of the Panay Bukidnon IPs.
Amlig Alliance said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Laua-an local government, and contractor Sunwest Construction Corp. of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co did not obtain necessary permits from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
“This revelation confirms that the ongoing scandal over DPWH corruption and ecological destruction in Antique is more severe than previously known. Beyond environmental offenses and procurement anomalies lies a deeper crime: The violation of the fundamental rights of the Iraynon-Bukidnon,” said the multi-sectoral Amlig Antique.
“Who in the government sponsored these P1.27-billion projects in the ancestral domain? What political connections enabled Sunwest to bypass the law with such impunity?” the group added.
The group urged the NCIP Central Office to issue a cease-and-desist order and asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conduct an environmental audit.
Amlig Antique also asked the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Antique Provincial Board to investigate these projects.

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