📢 PUBLIC STATEMENT 🌿
Several Aeta communities in Mount Pantingan, Bataan have united to express their collective concern over ongoing and proposed activities within their Ancestral Lands. For generations, these lands have sustained their way of life and remain deeply rooted in their cultural identity and traditions.
The communities report that activities such as mining and exploration pose serious risks to the environment, including deforestation, soil instability, and threats to local biodiversity—placing both nature and livelihoods in danger.
⚠️ The united Aeta communities emphasize:
All projects must strictly adhere to existing laws, especially the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), and must obtain Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) from all affected Indigenous groups before any operations begin.
🌱 To the Aeta people, their ancestral land is more than territory—it is a source of life, heritage, and continuity for future generations.
✊ Standing together, these communities call for respect, accountability, and the protection of both their rights and the environment.
📍 Location: Mount Pantingan, Bataan
#ProtectAncestralDomains
#AetaVoices
#RespectFPIC
#DefendIndigenousRights
#ProtectOurForests