Infanta (Philippines) Municipal Ordinance: rights of the Agos River and Sierra Madre

Summary

On 29 November 2022, the Infanta local government of Quezon Province in the Phillipines, adopted the country’s first Rights of Nature ordinance. The ordinance was filed and championed by Vice-Mayor L.A. Ruanto of Infanta, Quezon, and establishes the Agos River as a Protected Area in the Municipality of Infanta, recognizing its rights and appropriating funds.

The ordinance was adopted the same year that construction of the Kaliwa Dam began on the Agos River. The Kaliwa Dam is a part of a series of projects aimed at increasing the water supply to Manila, which currently faces a water shortage. The dam is planned to be located on the Agos River, where the Kaliwa and Kanan rivers meet. The construction of the dam faces community opposition, especially from Indigenous Filipinos whose ancestral lands are on the river. Local NGO and civil society network, Rights of Nature PH, says that the people of Infanta, Quezon value the importance of natural resources like the Agos River and Sierra Madre and hope that this ordinance will help protect this ecosystem from illegal activities by various corporations and companies that threaten and destroy it.

Impact Statement

This ordinance is the first Rights of Nature legislation to be adopted in the Philippines. As the country’s first Rights of Nature ordinance, the law has further encouraged efforts to adopt a national Rights of Nature law and recognize the rights of other natural entities.

Involved Organizations