Indigenous people's rights advocates denounced the Clark International Airport Corporation’s proposal to construct a “Taylor Swift-ready” concert stadium, fearing that it could further displace Aeta communities from their ancestral lands in New Clark City.
The stadium was announced by the government-owned and controlled corporation during the Build Better More Infrastructure Forum last July 12.
“Kung tutuusin, [ang stadium] ay sugal at pawang pang-aliw lamang. Marapat na pagbigyang pansin nito ang libo-libong mga katutubo na kanilang napalayas dulot ng New Clark City, at mga susunod pa dulot ng kanilang mga ipinapasang proyekto,” Katribu Youth Chairperson Eloisa Mesina said.
The New Clark City project is managed by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, another government-owned corporation, which is responsible for displacing several Aeta families residing in Tarlac.
“In itself, yung pag-iral ng lupang ninuno o paglinang ng mga katutubo ay development. Pero iba ang pananaw na development ng Bases Conversion and Development Authority—for profit siya,” Mesina said.
Out of the 9,450-hectare land of the planned city, almost 2,000 hectares have been developed into various establishments, including high-end resorts, a golf course, and a hotel, according to Pia Montalban, co-convenor of KAMANDAG, which is an organization of Filipino artists opposing development aggression.
These facilities are then marketed to national and international investors, including Filinvest, Manny Pangilinan, and investors from the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Singapore.
This has been a common pattern in the country—indigenous people are often subjected to land-grabbing in exchange for the government’s “developmental projects.” The projects are supposed to “improve” the families’ lives but turn out to cause livelihood destruction and environmental turmoil, as reported by Rappler.
Montalban also reported that the developers of the city shared inaccurate information about their construction plans. Upon questioning, the developers claimed that the planned city would be placed in uninhabited Clark instead of Tarlac. It was later revealed that New Clark City would actually be built between the municipalities of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac, affecting nearby Aeta residents.
Having previously received inaccurate information from the developers, advocates fear that the proposed concert stadium would also displace the nearby indigenous community.
Although the Clark International Airport Corporation assured that the project location is an underutilized land inside the civil aviation complex surrounding the airport, Montalban is unsure whether the Aeta community would be safe from the construction.
“Sa mga context clues nila wala nang space talaga sa Clark [para sa concert stadium], liban doon sa mga lupang hindi pa na-co-convert into infrastructures, which is mga lupa na komunidad ng mga katutubong Aeta,” Montalban said.
She also suggested that the budget for the stadium should be used for other priorities that need funding as the project is expensive and unnecessary.
“Tiyakin natin na yung bawat sentimong rekurso na pera ng taong bayan ay nailalaan sa mga tunay na pangangailangan, dahil di naman stadium ang pangangailangan natin kundi mga serbisyong panlipunan,” Montalban said. ●
