Residents of Pakil, Laguna joined by civil society groups, environmental defenders, church members, youth advocates, and neighboring communities took to the streets on Saturday, July 5, 2025 on an indignation rally demanding an immediate halt to the construction of the Ahunan dam.

The protest came to a head following a tree-cutting incident on June 21 atop Pakil hillside, which were reportedly linked to the controversial dam project. The operation stirred public outrage around the town, more notably known for its peaceful, religious, and cultural-centric community.

The Ahunan Dam is a proposed 1,400-megawatt pumped-storage hydropower facility which is slated to rise atop the Sierra Madre mountain range within the boundaries of Pakil. The project aims to provide clean and renewable hydroelectric power and stablilize the power grid. The construction has faced criticism for its potential environmental impact, particularly on biodiversity, watersheds, and the town’s cultural and natural heritage.

In a Facebook post by the Commission on Ecology of the Diocese of San Pablo, they said with the ongoing cutting of hundreds, if not thousands of trees, in the mountains of Pakil, Laguna, of Pingas and Inumpog which are part of the Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges, the Diocese of San Pablo through its Commission on Ecology and the Saint Peter de Alcantara Parish, Pakil, true to its mission, need to make a stand and oppose the destruction of the environment as well as human rights violations.

Led by Mamamayang Nagmamahal sa Pakil (MaNaPak), the protest began with a morning Mass at the St. Peter of Alcantara Parish Church. The crowd then marched to the local office of Ahunan Power Inc., where an indignation statement was read.

Protesters condemned several issues tied to the dam project which includes the displacement of families from Pinagkampohan—a community reportedly cleared for construction; the barring of local farmers from tilling the hillsides; and the restriction of fisherfolk from accessing their fishing grounds in Laguna Lake. They also raised alarm over the wider ecological threat to the Sierra Madre mountain.

“Ito ay pagtayo ng mamamayan ng Pakil kasama na rin ang mga karatig bayan at ang mga samahan sa ibat-ibang lugar upang mapalakas namin ang aming adhikain yan ay ang pag-protekta sa kalikasan dahil ang mga pangyayari sa nakaraang araw ay sobra na ang ginagawa nilang pagpuputol ng puno sa kabundukan na wala pang tamang permit at hindi sumusunod sa tamang proseso,” Pakil resident Lina Naldo states. Naldo went up the hill on June 21, after hearing reports of tree-cutting activities. She says she was shocked upon seeing the result of the clearing operations.

The protest continued around the town before culminating with a program at the town plaza. Students from Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba’s Letran Volunteer Corps stated their solidarity with the Pakileños, the religious men and women of the Diocese of San Pablo, and other oganizations from within and outside Laguna, in protest against the Ahunan Dam Project. They added the project will destroy more than 100 hectares of forest which is part of the Sierra Madre Mountain.