Pro-environment groups in the Philippines have expressed dismay over what they claimed is a lack of a concrete climate justice agenda in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA).

On July 22, Marcos Jr. highlighted the country’s role on the Board of the Loss and Damage Fund, for which the Philippines secured a seat and was selected to host the Board’s second meeting.

During his SONA, Marcos Jr. said that the country’s geographical location makes it highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, compelling Filipinos to become “proactive advocates for heightened climate responsibility and justice on the global stage.”

Jonila Castro, advocacy officer for the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, accused Marcos Jr. of pretending to be a “climate champion” while prioritizing “corporate profits over genuine climate action and sustainability.” 

Marcos Jr. lacks the moral ascendancy to declare himself a champion of climate action and loss and damage. In the face of ongoing plunder from mining and environmentally destructive projects such as reclamation and mega-dams, the people are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with disasters,” said Castro.

Castro decried the approval of more than 100 mining projects under the Marcos Jr. administration, adding that these projects devastate the remaining the country’s remaining forest covers and exacerbate severe flooding. 

She also condemned the “relentless” reclamation activities in Manila Bay, warning of their impacts on the capital region, including the massive displacement of fisherfolk and residents.

“The coastal and marine biodiversity of these areas under ‘reclamation’ is also destroyed,” said Castro.

The Philippine Reclamation Authority has at least 239 reclamation projects, 23 of which are located in Manila Bay.

If combined, these projects would create over 54,000 hectares of artificial land close to the size of the capital region, according to a study conducted by Altermidya Network.

Greenpeace Philippines climate campaigner Jefferson Chua said action on climate justice was “conspicuously absent” from Marcos Jr.’s SONA.

“We know that climate impacts are already devastating agriculture, people’s livelihoods and jobs, education and health… The next step is for [Marcos Jr.] to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the destruction caused by climate impacts,” he said. 

Chua urged the president to “go beyond words and symbolic gestures” by leading the call for a “full, fast, fair, and funded fossil fuel phase-out” and demanding payment for climate damages from oil and gas companies.

Meanwhile, the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) has expressed alarm over various infrastructure and land development projects mentioned in Marcos Jr.’s SONA, highlighting their conflict with the ancestral domains of indigenous peoples.”

“President Marcos touted dams, roads, tourism, energy, and land development programs that are encroaching on the territories of indigenous peoples. Along with mentions of Ease of Doing Business and Green Lanes policies, we are concerned that the current direction will worsen land and environment conflicts with indigenous territories,” said Atty. Mai Taqueban, executive director of LRC.