Farmers, indigenous people, and environmental groups temporarily stopped Hacienda Asia Plantation Inc. (HAPI) for clearing land and farms to prepare the establishment of an oil palm plantation in Candoni, Negros Occidental. This was after they held a dialogue with the provincial local government on June 11.

The affected barangays’ residents said HAPI operations affected the farms of 100 farmers who grow corn, pineapple, sugarcane, and vegetables. The indigenous people said the company did not get their Free, Prior, and Informed Consent or FPIC, which is legally required for any operation on ancestral lands.

Environmental groups also oppose the establishment of the plantation, which they say destroys the environment as it erodes soil, clears riparian zones, contaminates water sources, increase siltation, and destrucive land excavation. A petition was filed for the immediate halt of HAPI’s operations and the revocation of the permits granted to the company. The petition gathered 360 signatures.

Negros Occidental governor Bong Lacson was also compelled to write to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to question HAPI’s operations after discovering that the company does not have an environmental compliance certificate or ECC. In 2024, he formed a Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT) to oversee HAPI’s compliance with regulations. The company has yet to respond to the MMT resolutions.

Protests erupted in the area in late 2023 when HAPI, alongside military troops, began evicting farmers and indigenous people to clear 6,6000 hectares of forest and farmland in Candoni.

Farmers, indigenous people, and environmental groups know that the temporary suspension imposed on HAPI can still be reversed. They call on the governor to permanently ban and expel the company from their lands. They also urge the DENR to revoke the Integrated Forest Management Agreement or IFMA it awarded the company. They oppose granting the company permits and legal documents as the plantation poses a significant threat to the forests and their communities.

They said they will not relent until the protection of their land, water, food security, and livelihood is guaranteed.