BONTOC, Mountain Province — Indigenous residents of Barangay Guina-ang are seeking to withdraw their consent to a geothermal project by Energy Development Corporation (EDC), alleging that the approval process failed to meet required standards.
The community's move challenges the consent granted in April for EDC's Mainit-Sadanga Geothermal Project Prospect, which covers initial project activities.
Community files withdrawal resolution
Residents adopted Community Resolution No. 01, Series of 2026, in September and submitted it to the Cordillera office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP-CAR) on October 14.
The resolution withdraws the community's free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), a process intended to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are properly consulted before projects affecting their ancestral lands proceed.
The residents are also seeking a halt to all project activities until the community's consent is obtained through what they consider a proper process.
Why residents object
The resolution alleges that barangay officials approved the FPIC despite not having been chosen by the Indigenous communities to represent them.
Residents also claim that the process lacked adequate information and education campaigns and meaningful community-wide consultations.
These concerns raise questions about whether the community was properly informed and represented when the initial consent was granted.
What the community wants
The resolution calls for the following:
- Documentation explaining the basis for the project's approvals.
- Copies of records, meeting minutes, and attendance sheets related to the FPIC process.
- A declaration that the memorandum of agreement between EDC and the community is invalid insofar as Guina-ang is concerned.
- Action by EDC and the NCIP to remove Guina-ang from the geothermal project.
What's next?
As of October 22, EDC and the NCIP had not publicly responded to the community's resolution.
The dispute puts the FPIC process under scrutiny as residents seek to reverse the earlier approval and suspend project activities pending proper community consent.
