An international and national solidarity mission found that Hacienda Asia Plantations Incorporated (HAPI), the company behind a P2-billion palm oil project owned by the Consunji family, is causing environmental destruction and violating human rights.
The mission, conducted from October 12–13, 2025 in Candoni town, Negros Occidental, investigated firsthand the socio-economic and environmental impact of HAPI’s operations on local communities.
At a press conference on October 14, Ariel Casilao of Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) said HAPI’s development clearly prioritizes ‘profit’ over the interest of the people.
“We personally witnessed how HAPI grabbed land and threatened farmers and indigenous peoples who continue to fight for the land because they still tend to it,” Casilao said.
He accused HAPI, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of violating land rights and the economic, civil, political, and socio-cultural rights of Candoni residents.
Casilao added, “They slowly destroy the surroundings of the people. They kill river systems and watersheds through aggressive development to make the land suitable for a palm oil plantation.”
Too much
Reverend Father Melvin Fajardo of the One Negros Ecumenical Council (ONE-C) said HAPI’s operations desecrate “the image of God” through the suffering of workers.
He reported that workers toil 12 hours a day for just over 400 pesos, without overtime pay or contributions to SSS, PhilHealth, or Pag-IBIG. “They work without security, without protection,” he said.
Fajardo added, “The ONE-C stands with the workers of Candoni not out of pity, but in faith that God is present in their struggle for life and dignity.”
Campaign officer RJ Ledesma said HAPI’s terracing caused severe soil erosion and degraded local biodiversity. “Farmers pointed to areas that used to be rivers where people fished, but now they are flat terrain. Wildlife habitats disappeared due to deforestation,” he said.
Ledesma warned that chemicals used by HAPI could pollute rivers reaching Ilog town in Negros Occidental and Bayawan City in the Oriental side.
Legal action
He said that they compiling all the data and evidence to file a Writ of Kalikasan before the Supreme Court.
The writ is a legal remedy under Philippine law that protects communities from environmental damage. It allows citizens to seek immediate judicial action when human health or the environment suffers serious harm due to illegal or destructive activities.
Meanwhile, Lisa Masa, president of Makabayan, criticized HAPI for continuing earthmoving operations despite a cease and desist order (CDO) from the Provincial Environment and Management Office (PEMO).
She questioned the DENR’s delay and raised suspicions of corruption: “The question now is: did anyone receive a commission or bribe from the DENR to grant HAPI the IFMA?”
Masa added that HAPI also violated the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process with indigenous peoples, although some argued that they are not covered by it since they are not yet recognized by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
She summarized the mission’s recommendations: revoke the IFMA, stop harassment, and let the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) investigate all the alleged rights violations in the town.
Makabayan will also file a resolution in the House of Representatives to probe HAPI’s operations and violations, including how the company was granted by IFMA, Masa said.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.