STANDING HER GROUND Aeta leader Evangeline Rodriguez stands atop the open dump inside an Aeta ancestral domain in Subic, Zambales, during a visit last year after indigenous residents sought her help over the facility’s operation. Rodriguez is now calling for accountability from government agencies over what she described as years of inaction despite repeated complaints. —Contributed photo
SUBIC, ZAMBALES, Philippines — More than a year after indigenous leaders raised concerns over an alleged illegal open dump inside an Aeta ancestral domain here, community leaders are demanding accountability over what they describe as the government’s failure to stop its operation sooner.
The issue has regained attention following renewed scrutiny of the dump, with Aeta leaders questioning why authorities appeared to have allowed it to operate for years despite earlier complaints and whether any officials will be held accountable.
Evangeline Rodriguez, an Aeta leader and national chair of Alyansa ng Katutubong Kababaihan ng Pilipinas Inc. (Alikkap), said she formally brought the matter last year to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), the Subic municipal government, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and other concerned agencies after members of the indigenous community sought her help.
