Navotas Community Sounds Alarm as Marcos Preps SONA

Fishers and families in Navotas took their frustration straight to the water’s edge. They want President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to hear it before he steps up to deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address.

Greenpeace Philippines joined Navotas fishers and community members in a protest in Brgy. Bagumbayan North, Navotas City, ahead of the SONA, demanding that Marcos protect Filipinos from worsening extreme heat and other climate impacts.

Navotas residents call for stronger climate action and environmental protection. [photo credit: Jilson Tiu | Greenpeace]

Flames, Empty Pails Send a Blunt Message

Protesters wore flame-shaped headpieces and carried empty water pails to symbolize intensifying heat and the growing threat of water insecurity. They gathered around a giant thermometer installation and unfurled a banner reading “Init na nakaka-stress, aksyunan mo naman, Pres!” — a direct call for urgent climate action and greater accountability.

“Development means little if Filipinos continue to suffer from worsening extreme heat and climate change,” said Greenpeace Philippines Climate Campaigner Jefferson Chua. “As the President delivers his SONA, he must show that his administration is prepared to place people’s welfare and environmental protection at the heart of national development, rather than continuing to favor polluters and corporate interests.”

The protest lands days after the release of a Heat Stress Report that found significant gaps in the country’s response to extreme heat, despite its serious toll on public health, livelihoods, food security, and local economies. Drawing from focus group discussions with frontline communities across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the report found government responses remain fragmented and inadequate. It called for stronger climate adaptation, greater protection for vulnerable sectors, and the immediate passage of the Climate Accountability (CLIMA) Bill.

Greenpeace Pushes Marcos to Certify CLIMA Bill

Greenpeace said the report’s findings underscore the urgent need to align the country’s development agenda with climate resilience. With communities already grappling with escalating climate impacts, the group argues the government cannot keep pursuing policies and projects that deepen environmental degradation and climate risk — including continued fossil fuel expansion and resource-intensive developments like the proposed Pax Silica initiative.

“The true measure of development is not how many projects are launched or investments are secured, but whether communities are safer, healthier, and more resilient,” Chua said. “No Filipino should have to pay for development with their health, livelihood, or access to water. The government should invest in solutions that prioritize well-being and resilience instead of pursuing projects that place even greater pressure on our environment and natural resources.”

Greenpeace is urging Marcos to certify the CLIMA Bill as urgent in the incoming legislative agenda. The measure would require major polluters to pay their fair share for the climate harms they’ve caused, helping finance climate adaptation and address the loss and damage already being felt by frontline communities. The group also called on the administration to accelerate a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels and ensure future development policies reinforce the country’s climate resilience.

“This SONA must mark a turning point,” Chua added. “President Marcos must commit to a development agenda that’s grounded in climate accountability, and ensures that major polluters are held accountable for the harm they have caused. Justice in an era of climate crisis must be non-negotiable.”