22/07/2026
ECHO THE CALL, SIGN THE PETITIONS!
https://c.org/bTF8brm8gG
https://c.org/Lt4KCRwyry
https://www.bataris.org.ph/petitions/save-and-protect-sibuyan-island-philippines?source=rawlink&utm_source=rawlink&share=429e29bc-d31a-436e-b9a5-5f98e5ce557e
Fellow hikers, adventures, outdoor enthusiasts, and advocates. Let us join the call for protecting Sibuyan island from a mining project that will only harm its people and environment.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege to visit Sibuyan island through our hike to Mt. Guiting-Guiting which, many would say is every hiker's paradise. Being there, I understood why it earned being called the "Galapagos of Asia" — a sanctuary teeming with biodiversity where every ridge, every river and every section of its dense forests holds species found nowhere else on Earth. It has one of the Philippines' richest concentration of endemic plants and wildlife, its natural watersheds sustain both people and nature, and its forests stand well preserved.
Unfortunately, this ecological crown jewel is under threat from mining operations that risks tearing apart its rare ecosystem, polluting its pristine waters and affecting the local communities that have fought for the environment for decades.
As someone who has looked out from the summit of Mt. Guiting-Guiting, I've seen what is at stake. It's not just an ecological marvel, it's also a lifeline. As it stood towering over the island, it has deterred typhoons and shielded its communities from catastrophic winds and surges. That is why we cannot let greed scar an island of irreplaceable value and dismantle that which keeps its people safe.
Sibuyan is worth more standing than excavated. It is not a commodity and its mountains are a legacy. It doesn't take much to realize that some places are extraordinary not because of what we can take from them, but because of what they already are.
