Indigenous and environmental advocates have filed complaints in South Korea against the Korean Export-Import Bank (KEXIM/EDCF) and Daewoo Engineering & Construction (Daewoo E&C).
They accused the institutions of human rights violations, environmental destruction, and breaches of international safeguards in the construction of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project II (JRMP II), also known as the Jalaur Mega Dam, in Iloilo province, central Philippines.
The Jalaur River for the People’s Movement (JRPM) filed the complaints on Tuesday. The group cited several violations, including breaches of EDCF safeguard policies, failure to secure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) from the Tumandok Indigenous People, and militarization of communities opposing the project.
They also pointed to harassment, extrajudicial killings, environmental damage, and the displacement of Tumandok families from their ancestral lands.
“KEXIM/EDCF violated its own EDCF safeguard policies by funding a project that caused irreparable harm to the Tumandok and their ancestral lands,” said JRPM coordinator John Ian Alenciaga.
“The Jalaur Mega Dam has submerged ancestral lands, burial sites, and communities, displacing families without fair compensation,” he added.
Alenciaga said Tumandok communities continue to face militarization, red-tagging, and harassment, forcing many to leave their lands after the 2020 massacre.
He stressed that KEXIM and Daewoo must be held accountable, with funding halted, justice delivered to victims, and full accountability ensured.
The 2020 massacre left nine Tumandok leaders dead and 16 others arrested during state operations.
South Korean groups also pressed for accountability. Lee Young-ah of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy noted that JRMP II is the first EDCF-funded project covered by Korea’s safeguards policy and said an independent investigation is needed to protect the Tumandok and their environment.
Lawyer Jung Shin-young of the Advocates for Public Law Interest emphasized that Daewoo E&C must engage directly with affected communities and take responsibility, while the Korean NCP should ensure corporate accountability and justice in line with OECD standards.
In Iloilo, JRPM organized parallel actions, including a picket at the provincial capitol. The protests coincided with the International Day of Solidarity and Action for the Tumandok People and Indigenous Peoples Month.
Environmental group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment also joined the call.
It warned that the ₱20-billion dam “threatens to displace entire communities, destroy livelihoods, and wreak havoc on the biodiversity of the Jalaur River Basin.”
“For over a decade, the Tumandok have resisted… Despite lacking Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), the project continues—backed by foreign loans and corporate interests at the expense of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and ecological balance,” the group said.
