A substantial portion of the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund—essentially the Filipino people’s money—has been funneled into Makilala Mining Company. The Maharlika investment in Makilala amounts to $76.4 million (₱4.42 billion). While Makilala is a Philippine-registered company, it is owned by the Australian firm Celsius Resources. In March 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration awarded Makilala a mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) for its Maalinao-Caigutan-Biyog (MCB) project in Balatoc, Pasil, Kalinga, extending it for six months. Makilala Mining is also seeking an exploration permit (EP) for Botilao in Tinglayan.

KMP’s chapter in Cordillera Aliansa Dagiti Pesante iti Kordiliera (APIT TAKO) said Kalinga has long been exploited for mining and energy projects, and this latest investment is yet another blow. The Marcos Jr. administration is effectively using the people’s money to fund a mining company whose activities will pollute the rivers that irrigate Kalinga’s agricultural lands, threatening a key supplier of rice to Isabela and Bulacan. This move not only endangers the livelihoods of Kalinga’s farmers but also undermines the food security of Filipinos nationwide.

The region is already heavily targeted by the government and private corporations for the construction of two wind farms, a geothermal plant, and 19 hydropower projects along the Pasil, Chico, Tanudan, and Saltan rivers, all of which have faced fierce resistance from local communities. In response, the state has intensified military operations in Kalinga, turning the province into a battlefield for corporate and government interests.

Danilo Ramos, chairperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Makabayan Senatorial Candidate, also strongly condemned the investment: “The Maharlika Fund is being used to bankroll destructive mining instead of uplifting farmers and indigenous communities. Marcos Jr. is repeating his father’s legacy—prioritizing foreign corporations over Filipinos while unleashing militarization to silence resistance.”

The Maharlika investment in Makilala exposes the Marcos Jr. administration’s real agenda: a mining industry that serves corporate greed over national interest. It reflects a governance model where public-private partnerships benefit only the elite, at the expense of indigenous lands and natural resources.

History serves as a warning. From 1983 to 1985, the people of Kalinga protested Marcos Sr.’s Batong Buhay Gold Mine after it polluted the Pasil and Chico rivers. Their resistance forced the mine’s closure in 1985. Today, Kalinga’s people face the same battle against the Marcos dynasty’s extractive policies but if history has shown anything, it is that they will not back down. ###