On February 15, 2023, three hundred Dumagat-Remontado indigenous people together with farmers, fisherfolks, religious and environmentalist groups took a 9-day “Alay-Lakad Laban sa Kaliwa Dam” protest march from General Nakar in Quezon province to Malacañang in Manila.

The protest march calls on the government for a permanent stop to the ongoing construction of the Chinese government-funded Kaliwa Dam in Quezon and Rizal province which embraces portion of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range.

The construction of which, they say, destroys vital ecosystems and biodiversity of the Sierra Madre, endanger IP communities, affect ancestral and sacred grounds, and would result in loss of livelihood for inhabitants. All irreparable and cannot be compensated.

The marchers – reach Destination Manila on Thursday, February 23, 2023 after a grueling 150-plus-kilometer walk made difficult by weather and State restrictions, and with only the straws of their buri hats for cover – vows to remain in the Metro until the government provides a clear and acceptable response to their issues.