Unmasking San Miguel Corporation and its Aggression Against Filipino Communities and the Environment

Photo credit: jukurae / Shutterstock.com

Don't be deceived by the holy name it possesses, wait until we unravel the wolf in its sheep's clothing which is the San Miguel Corporation. He may be using the name of an angel but its numerous development aggression projects brought hell into the lives of marginalized Filipinos.

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is the largest and one of the oldest conglomerates in the Philippines, dating back to 1890. Originally known for its San Miguel Beer, its business has been diversified into different sectors, from food and beverages to infrastructure, energy, banking, and property.

SMC has become a symbol of corporate greed that is prioritizing profits over the environment and people's rights. Here are the following development aggression projects and disasters led by and/or related with SMC and its impact to the environment and to the marginalized communities.

Navotas Coastal Bay Reclamation

Manila Bay waters along Navotas Coast has been a source of livelihood among local fisherfolks and magtatahong (mussel farmers) and a vital source of food in Metro Manila.

In the efforts to push through the reclamation project, fishing grounds and tahungan (mussel farms) are being destroyed, with the aid of Philippine Coast Guard. 

New Manila International Airport (NMIA) - Bulacan Aerotropolis Project

Just miles north of Navotas, a 2500-hectare "airport city" is being built in Taliptip, Bulakan, Bulacan. Being marketed as the answer to the congested Manila's airport, over 650 hectares of mangrove have been destroyed, and 20,000 families were displaced and lost their livelihood.

Photo from Save Manila Bay website

These Navotas Coastal Bay Reclamation and the Bulacan Aerotropolis projects are part of over 20 Manila Bay reclamation projects approved by Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), getting Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) without proper consultation with the affected communities and lacking risks assessment.

These projects would cause loss of income and livelihood among fisherfolk and displacement of their communities along the coast. It would also exacerbate the flooding in Bulacan and Metro Manila low-lying coastal areas while further destroying the mangrove forests that aid against flooding and storm surge, affecting the marine ecosystem, and polluting the waters through dredging construction that releases toxic sediments into the bay.

Other Manila Bay reclamation projects that are planned or proposed by SMC are the Tanza Airport Support Services in Cavite and the 360-hectare Pasay Harbor City.

Pasig River Expressway (PAREX)

SMC is notorious for its expressway projects under its subsidiary, SMC Infrastructure that displaces urban poor communities and further adds to the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, and PAREX is no exemption.

Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) is a proposed elevated expressway planned to be built above the Pasig River tributary. The project has faced backlash against environmental and heritage conservation groups as it will add pollution to the river, disrupting further its ecosystem, and it will disrupt the visual and structural integrity of several heritage sites near the Pasig River.

The PAREX project lacks proper public consultation, but gained the approval of former President Duterte last March 2022. Ramon Ang, SMC's CEO, expressed that he will discontinue the project in 2023 due to public clamor against it, but renewed his interest to continue the project last year.

2023 Mindoro oil spill and 2024 Manila Bay oil spill disasters

The recent oil spill disasters in Manila Bay and in Mindoro are caused by an oil tanker carrying industrial oil from Petron, one of the biggest petroleum companies in the Philippines where SMC has the biggest share. The ships carrying the oil, namely MT Princess Empress (carried 800,000 liters of oil, sank in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro) and MT Terra Nova (carried 1.4 million liters of oil, sank in Limay, Bataan) were charted by San Miguel Shipping and Lighterage Corporation, a subsidiary of SMC.

Media blackouts are in effect, creating radio silence on SMC's involvement with the two oil spill disasters, even blatantly denying their links to those marine disasters on their press releases.

Coastal towns of Oriental Mindoro, Antique, Palawan, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, and Batangas were affected by the two subsequent oil spills, declaring a state of calamity, disrupting livelihood and causing health issues among people in coastal communities.

Furthermore, these have also caused food security concerns and threatened the marine ecosystem, especially in a biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage.

Liquified Natural Gas Plant in Batangas

SMC also owns several coal power plants. They operate 8 of 35 gas-fired powerplants, planning to add 8 more, making SMC the largest gas expansionist in South East Asia. In an attempt to greenwash, they are converting to liquified natural gas (LNG), which is still derived from fossil fuel.

This particular LNG Plant in Ilijan, Batangas City, raises concerns among the locals and environmental groups as it is situated near the Verde Island Passage (VIP), considered as the Amazon of the Oceans with its rich marine biodiversity. Waste waters and toxic chemicals would be a threat to the livelihood and health of the locals and will pose a threat to the VIP marine ecosystem.

Ecotourism Projects in Palawan

As featured recently by Pinay Collection, Sitio Marihangin (Brgy. Bugsuk, Balabac, Palawan) faces a threat of an ecotourism project that presents itself as it will generate jobs and economic revenues, at the cost of displacing Molbog, Palaw'an and Cagayanen indigenous peoples and threatening the last ecological frontier.

Ten locals of Sitio Marihangin are facing a legal battle. They were recently charged with "grave coercion" by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) executive Caesar Ortega due to their resistance against SMC's encroachment and land-grabbing of their ancestral lands and waters.

SMC’s subsidiary, Bricktree Properties, is pushing for the 5,568 hectare eco-luxury tourism project that threatens to displace the 94 remaining households in Marihangin.

SMC's Greenwashing Tactics

On top of these anti-environment and anti-people projects and business ventures of SMC, they try to hide their complicity and evade accountability through several greenwashing tactics through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects such as tree planting, mangrove-planting, and outreach programs, and claiming sustainability on their projects, but ultimately will cause irreversible and irreparable damage to the environment and to the communities.

Campaigns

Several environmental campaigns have been initiated to push back against these development aggression projects of SMC. 

Save Manila Bay

Save Manila Bay is a campaign under People’s NICHE (People’s Network for the Integrity of Coastal Habitats and Ecosystems), an alliance of environment and fisherfolk groups advocating for restoration, instead of reclamation, of the coastal waters of Manila Bay.

Ilog Pasiglahin movement

Ilog Pasiglahin movement is an environmental advocacy group focused on sustainable revitalization of Pasig River and its tributaries. The group has been vocal against the construction of PAREX and other projects that threaten the rehabilitation and conservation efforts for the Pasig River. The movement has been instrumental in raising awareness about the pollution of the Pasig River and advocating for sustainable urban development that prioritizes the river’s revitalization.

Protect VIP Coalition

The Protect VIP coalition is a group of communities, fisherfolk, environmentalists, and other advocates for the protection of the Verde Island Passage. This coalition has been vocal against companies financing major fossil fuel projects in the Verde Island Passage. The coalition aims to stop these projects, which they believe will have serious negative consequences for the Amazon of the Oceans and local livelihoods relying on it.

Companies like SMC won’t be stopping with their development aggression projects (and their greenwashing tactics) anytime soon, and these environmental groups won’t stop either. The people will continue to demand accountability from SMC, the government agencies that are complicit in approving their projects, and corporations that fund these projects, and will continue to raise awareness on the environmental impacts their projects are bringing and mobilizing people to remain vigilant against SMC’s development aggression projects.

The masses are the Messiah, and it is with our collective effort that we can expose and stop the evil deeds of San Miguel Corporation against the environment and our people. Let’s continue to support the initiatives of Save Manila Bay, Ilog Pasiglahin, and Protect VIP coalition.