The Reviews
This book is a comprehensive documentation of one rural community’s opposition to a national government project that made perfect sense to planners and technocrats but not to its ordinary citizens. The book shows how leaders of the community gathered the crucial technical information they needed to mobilize and unite their neighbors and argue convincingly against the proposed copper smelter plant in San Juan Batangas in the late ‘70s — at the height of the powers of the Martial Law regime. This little-known event might well have prompted the strict adoption of a strict policy that requires proponents of large-scale projects to seriously consider the sentiments of local residents.
Many Filipino eco-activists mastered the essential art of community organizing in the course of their struggle against some of the highly polluting industries promoted by the Marcos developmentalist state. In the San Juan case, community leaders sought the sympathy of conscientious technocrats in the Marcos government (like then Trade and Industry Minister Vicente Paterno and Socio-economic Planning Minister Gerardo Sicat) in order to stop the copper smelting and refinery plant from being located in their community. Their successful campaign, which pitted them against their own local government officials, was not a mere “not-in-my-backyard” (NIMBY) stubbornness. It was highly informed, methodical, and resolute. Today, San Juan, Batangas, is a flourishing town with pristine beaches, well-kept streets, and the pastoral feel of an unspoiled countryside. The residents’ struggle to keep it that way despite the promises of instant industrialization is a case study that community leaders and policymakers alike will find immensely instructive.
-Prof. Randy David
Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of the Philippines Writer of the column “Public Lives” in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
A well-researched exploration of the history of San Juan Batangas, from its earliest history through the 1970s, setting the foundation for the town and its residents to become the epicenter for a proposed copper smelter site and environmental justice response, which successfully influenced its relocation. The education campaigns conducted by the Concerned Citizens of San Juan, Batangas to gather and disseminate to residents the scientific data on the impacts of the copper smelter site and adjacent fertilizer plant galvanized petitions, protests, and a forceful response that directly influenced the national government’s site selection for the industrial facilities. In the face of pressure from the local government for economic development and its competing information and intimidation campaigns, which minimized the environmental consequences, this important story shows the long-lasting impact that a community can achieve when it educates residents about the ways that proposed industrialization and development can affect health and environment.
- Laura E. Ward, Esq.
Commissioner
Parks, Art, and Recreation Commission
(for the City of Fresno, California)
The impact that the Concerned Citizens of San Juan, Batangas had on championing the anti-pollution concerns to their region, highlighting the significant adverse consequence of a copper smelter to its agriculture, fishing, wildlife and eco-tourism industries, presents a significant lesson from a time when developing countries were tasked with absorbing the industrial developments eliminated elsewhere by environmental laws, regulations, and heightened environmental protection standards. Successfully achieving a relocation of the proposed copper smelter site by advancing consideration for the visible and invisible impacts it would have on the region and its agricultural, animal, and human inhabitants is an inspiration to other vulnerable communities where the government’s interests in economic development are pursued at the expense of protecting the health and ecosystem of the impacted citizens and localities.
- Jeremy D. Clar, Esq.
Chairman of the Tehipite Chapter of the Sierra Club in California
Barako 77 could not have come at a better time. With one year short of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the story of the San Juaneños of Batangas demonstrates all too clearly what meaningful development looks like and how it is shaped by the intrepid members of society. The narrative simply and succinctly relates an all-too-common scenario in developing economies where the state prescribes and determines projects promising economic gains so tremendous that it can transform sleepy towns into vibrant and wealthy districts. Without opposition, the town transforms with the intended outcomes of prosperity and progress but also with the unintended consequences of a social and ecological nature. The San Juan experience, however, introduces a plot twist to the usual development model. Armed with curiosity, a questioning attitude, and a steadfast spirit, Horacio Marasigan, Sr. led his town to confront and challenge the state’s proposal to establish the first copper smelting facility in San Juan, Batangas. The fight was a veritable information war, which would have been rife with fake news production and manipulation on social media were it to have transpired in our current age of Artificial Intelligence. The processes that propelled the campaign were a rich interplay of community mobilization that called in religious affiliations, local associations, affinities to tradition, and a clear perception of the regrettable future. The San Juaneños can rightly be credited for their resolve to stand up to and speak truth to power. Fortunately, their clamor did not fall on deaf ears. Today, San Juan prides itself on being one of the top destinations for eco-tourism. Could that have happened with the smelting facility in its backyard?
Barako 77 celebrates the grit of the San Juaneños, made more relevant in our times with the increasingly gnawing peril of climate change and the continued ravaging of our natural environment in the name of profit and progress. It is a story worth telling and retelling as a testament to the extent to which community mobilization can succeed in the struggle to keep what ultimately matters--should matter--to all humans, which is a livable planet.
-Carmita Eliza De Jesus Icasiano, PhD
Heritage Anthropologist
University of Asia and the Pacific
At the heart of this meticulously researched book is a Filipino community that took on political powers and corporate interests to protect its natural resources. History and engineering enthusiasts will be delighted with the author’s detailed archiving of mining in the Philippines. Gen Z eco-activists will be inspired and can draw strategic lessons from their predecessors.
-Anne Elicaño-Shields
London Writers Awardee 2021
Barako 77 is a must-read for all ages and a primary source of historical narrative on a period in SJ where San Juan folks became brave and courageous in choosing clean environment over nuclear power.
It's a rare sight in San Juan to organize the people towards protests against a strong and convincing local government. The protests succeeded, and the people prevailed despite threats and risks. It’s inspiring and a lesson on the community’s role in caring for its environment and fighting for the right to health and safety.
Fast forward, San Juan’s tourism is now thriving, and tribute is given to our elders who fought for clean waters, lush mangroves and sea treasures. The book is well-researched, clearly written, and convincing on the reasons behind the protests. Congratulations to Barako Publishing for sharing the story.
Atty. Sylvia M. Marasigan
President
Batangas Culture and Arts Council
Barako 77 is a gripping story filled with firsthand information on how war, industrialization, political and media maneuverings are used to sway minds and souls. This book takes readers on a journey through the tumultuous events of the time, as seen through the eyes of the brave Batangueños from barrio Imelda who went the extra mile to protect the air and the seas of San Juan, Batangas (up to this day) against those who are willing to compromise the natural in the name of progress. Barako 77 is a captivating read that leaves a lasting impression and inspiration to the new generations of Filipinos — that no seat of power is strong enough against a united voice.
-Baby Ruth Villarama
Storyteller
Voyage Studios