PROTECT PAKIL, LAGUNA
NO TO THE AHUNAN PUMPED-STORAGE PROJECT WITHOUT FULL ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY PROTECTION

AN URGENT CALL TO PROTECT LIFE, WATER, FORESTS AND OUR COMMON HOME
To the Philippine Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Energy (DOE), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), Local Government Units, Ahunan Power Inc., Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc., and all authorities responsible for approving and monitoring the Ahunan Pumped-Storage Hydropower Project:
We, the undersigned citizens, residents, descendants and friends of Pakil, Laguna, call for an immediate, transparent and independent environmental and social review of the Ahunan Pumped-Storage Hydropower Project.
The project is described by its developer as a 1,400-megawatt pumped-storage facility involving approximately US$5.03 billion in investment and targeted for operation by 2030.
We recognize the importance of renewable energy and energy security.
But renewable energy must never become a justification for sacrificing forests, watersheds, biodiversity, communities, livelihoods, cultural heritage or human safety.

WE ARE NOT AGAINST CLEAN ENERGY.
WE ARE AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION IN THE NAME OF CLEAN ENERGY.
A project can be called renewable while still creating serious local environmental and social consequences.
Therefore, before irreversible decisions are made, Pakil deserves answers.

WHY THIS IS URGENT
The developer's own Integrated Watershed Management Plan recognizes that the relevant Pakil River and Malaking Ilog-Tibag watersheds have significant environmental vulnerabilities.
The assessment reported that portions of the watersheds are highly susceptible to rain-induced landslides and soil erosion, while low-lying portions of the Pakil River Watershed are susceptible to flooding.
These realities demand the highest level of caution.
We therefore ask:
What will happen to the watershed during construction?
What will happen to the mountains, forests and biodiversity?
What will happen during extreme rainfall and typhoons?
What are the consequences of tunnel excavation, roads, reservoirs and other infrastructure?
What communities, farms, water sources and livelihoods could be affected?
What happens if environmental safeguards fail?
Who carries the risk—and who receives the benefits?
These questions must not be answered by promises alone.
They must be answered by independent science, transparent data, public consultation and enforceable safeguards.

LAUDATO SI': HEARING THE CRY OF THE EARTH
Pope Francis reminds humanity:
“The earth herself is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor.”
— Laudato Si’, 2
He also teaches:
“The earth is among the most precious of gifts.”
And Laudato Si’ repeatedly reminds us that environmental destruction and human suffering are connected.
Pope Francis calls us to hear both:
“the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
The people of Pakil must not be treated as an obstacle to development.
They are part of the common good that development is supposed to serve.

PAKIL IS NOT JUST A PROJECT SITE
Pakil is a community.
Pakil has rivers.
Pakil has forests.
Pakil has mountains.
Pakil has farms.
Pakil has families.
Pakil has history and culture.
Pakil has future generations.
These are not merely economic assets.
They are part of our common home.
Pope Francis writes:
“The earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone.”
— Laudato Si’, 93
Therefore, no development decision should be made without asking:
Who benefits?
Who bears the risk?
Who has been heard?
What will remain for our children?

OUR DEMANDS
We respectfully but urgently demand:

1. FULL TRANSPARENCY
Make publicly accessible all relevant environmental, geological, hydrological, engineering, social and safety assessments relating to the project.

2. INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Require independent experts—with no financial interest in the project—to evaluate its potential effects on:
Pakil River Watershed
forests and biodiversity
groundwater and surface water
landslide and erosion risks
flooding
seismic and structural safety
agricultural lands
wildlife
local communities
cultural heritage
climate resilience

3. GENUINE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
Affected residents must be given meaningful opportunities to understand the project, ask questions, review evidence and express their concerns.
Consultation must not be merely a formality.

4. PROTECTION OF WATER
Water is essential for life.
No energy project should compromise the long-term security, quality or availability of water for communities and ecosystems.

5. PROTECTION OF FORESTS AND WATERSHEDS
Any forest or watershed affected by construction must receive the highest level of protection.
Mitigation must not simply replace an existing mature ecosystem with promises of future planting.

6. NO IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE
If credible scientific evidence demonstrates that the project presents unacceptable or irreversible environmental or community risks, construction and approvals must be reconsidered or stopped.

7. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Communities that carry environmental risks must not be denied a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their homes and future.

A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

Laudato Si’ teaches:
“We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us.”
— Laudato Si’, 67
We are therefore stewards, not absolute owners.
We have received creation as a gift.
We have a duty to protect it.
And we have a duty to protect those whose voices may be weakest.

THINK OF THE NEXT GENERATION

Imagine your child standing beside the river twenty years from now.
What will we tell them?
“We knew there were risks, but we did nothing”?
Or:
“We stood up and demanded that development protect life and creation”?
The decision being made today will affect people who have not yet been born.
They cannot sign this petition.
So we must speak for them.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW

The project is already advancing toward its stated 2030 operational target, and the developer reports that engineering and construction arrangements have progressed.
That is precisely why public scrutiny cannot wait until construction is too advanced to reverse course.
We call upon government authorities and project developers:
STOP. LISTEN. DISCLOSE. ASSESS. PROTECT.
Do not wait for an environmental disaster before asking whether enough precautions were taken.

OUR PETITION

We call for the Ahunan Pumped-Storage Hydropower Project in Pakil, Laguna to be subjected to the strongest possible environmental, geological, hydrological, social and community-safety safeguards.
We demand that no irreversible environmental damage or unacceptable risk to human life be permitted in the name of energy development.
We ask decision-makers to place:

LIFE BEFORE PROFIT.
PEOPLE BEFORE PROJECTS.
ENVIRONMENT BEFORE EXPLOITATION.
THE COMMON GOOD BEFORE PRIVATE INTEREST.
STEWARDSHIP BEFORE CONSUMPTION.

✍️ SIGN THIS PETITION

If you love Pakil:
SIGN.

If your family comes from Pakil:
SIGN.

If you care about Laguna:
SIGN.

If you believe forests and rivers deserve protection:
SIGN.

If you believe renewable energy must also respect human dignity and nature:
SIGN.

If you believe our children deserve a safe and healthy future:
SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION TODAY.

SAVE THE FORESTS.

PROTECT THE WATER.
PROTECT THE WATERSHED.
PROTECT THE PEOPLE.
PROTECT OUR COMMON HOME.
PROTECT PAKIL.
PROTECT LIFE.
LISTEN TO THE CRY OF THE EARTH AND THE CRY OF THE PEOPLE.
LAUDATO SI' — PRAISE BE TO YOU, MY LORD.
The future of Pakil cannot be left to chance.
The time to act is now