The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), together with its regional chapter Kilusang Magbubukid ng Bicol (KMB), denounces the rampant corruption, land grabbing, and aggressive development projects displacing farmers, fisherfolk, and rural communities across Bicol.

Lands are increasingly being converted for corporate interests. Public funds meant for infrastructure are diverted into corruption-ridden projects, while agricultural lands, watersheds, and coastal resources are handed over to powerful elites and private corporations with little transparency or accountability.

Political dynasties and corporate interests continue to dominate land use decisions, pushing farmers off fertile lands and coastal areas to make way for resorts, industrial zones, and energy projects. Areas around Mayon Volcano and coastal barangays in Camarines Sur, Albay, and Masbate are particularly affected. KMP warns that what is branded as “development” often benefits political elites and corporations, leaving rural communities impoverished and voiceless.

The Masbate Gold Project in Aroroy, Masbate, operated by Filminera Resources Corporation, a joint venture of B2Gold Corp. (Canada, 40 percent ownership) and Zoom Mineral Holdings Inc. (Philippines, 60 percent ownership) is one of the region’s largest mining operations. While it provides jobs and local revenue, communities report ongoing environmental and social impacts including dust, blasting, and displacement. A large solar farm powers the operations, yet the broader challenges of large-scale extraction continue to threaten local livelihoods and ecosystems.

Nearly 200 farming families in Barangays Fabrica and Pawili, Camarines Sur, assert their rightful claim to the 26-hectare land they have lived on and cultivated for over 70 years, after fraudulent titling, land grabbing, and decades-long eviction attempts against them.

Bicol is also seeing ambitious renewable energy projects. A proposed 500 to 1000 megawatt offshore wind farm in San Miguel Bay, spanning Calabanga, Siruma, and Tinambac (Camarines Sur), is majority-owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners with a 25 percent stake by ACEN Corporation of the Ayala Group. While the project “promises clean energy” local fishing communities and residents raise concerns about impacts on livelihoods, marine ecosystems, and coastal land use. Siruma, now under national attention, remains firmly within the political orbit of the Villafuerte dynasty, raising concerns that decisions over land will serve entrenched interests rather than the communities whose lives depend on them.

KMP emphasizes that land use conversion, whether for mining, wind farms, solar panels, eco-tourism estates, or infrastructure corridors, consistently disadvantages small producers and marginalized residents. Official narratives of “development” often result in displacement, loss of livelihood, and weakened food security.

“Projects from the mountains to the coasts are being approved with little or no regard at all for farmers, fisherfolk, and residents who depend on these resources,” KMP said.

KMP urges all Bicolanos to hold officials and corporations accountable and defend lands that once sustained families but are now being converted into industrial, commercial, and energy zones to enrich powerful elites and foreign corporations. ###