Residents opposing UP SDG Park engages UN expert on business, human rights

[TAGALOG] Mga residenteng tutol sa UP SDG Park nakipag-ugnayan sa UN expert on business, human rights

As part of her academic mission to the Philippines, Dr. Pichamon Yeophantong, member of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights (UNWGBHR) for Asia‑Pacific, engaged with residents of Pook Malantic, Barangay UP Campus, Quezon City, August 13, 2026.

Pook Malantic is among the communities directly affected by the proposed University of the Philippines (UP) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Park. While the project is presented as a flagship sustainable development effort, residents and grassroots organizations raised strong opposition, warning of mass displacement, loss of livelihood, and the dismantling of long‑standing communities.  

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During her visit, Dr. Yeophantong met with residents and leaders from the Samahan ng mga Nagkakaisang Komunidad (SAMANAKO) sa UP, who had earlier attended the roundtable co-organized by Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (Panaghiusa) and KATRIBU Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas. SAMANAKO sa UP emphasized that the lands targeted for the SDG Park are historically significant, cultivated by farmers long before the founding of Quezon City and the establishment of UP Diliman, and continue to serve as spaces for housing, livelihood, and community learning. Students and faculty of UP have long engaged with these communities as living classrooms, making the project’s potential impact even more profound.  

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SAMANAKO sa UP added that more than 90,000 families across Pook Malantic, Pook Aguinaldo, Area 17, Krus na Ligas farmlands, CP Garcia, and Pook Arboretum stand to be affected. Panaghiusa supports the calls of these communities for transparent negotiation processes, suspension of the implementation of the UP SDG Park, the pullout of armed guards, the end of harassment and intimidation against residents, and the recognition of the affected people’s land rights .

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Beyond its mandate of upholding Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Panaghiusa emphasizes that businesses and large‑scale development projects also have profound impacts on the human rights of urban poor communities and farmers. By facilitating Dr. Yeophantong’s community visit, Panaghiusa ensures that the concerns of Pook Malantic and neighboring areas are amplified in both national and international arenas. 

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Through this engagement, Panaghiusa underscores that the resistance to the UP SDG Park, similar to Indigenous Peoples’ struggle for land, life, and rights, is also a struggle for justice, dignity, and the right to truly sustainable development that respects the historical significance of the land, protects livelihoods, and upholds the rights of marginalized communities. #