[Press Release] Submission of Complaints Regarding Violations of EDCF Safeguards and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises Related to the Jalaur Mega Dam Project in the Philippines

1. The Jalaur River for the People's Movement (JRPM) and Korean civil society organisations held a joint press conference at 11:00 AM today (August 26) in front of the main gate of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and submitted a complaint regarding the violation of EDCF safeguards and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises by the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project (Stage II).
2. The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project (Stage II) is a project funded by a loan of 193 million USD (approximately 206.1 billion KRW) from the Export-Import Bank of Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), at the time the largest amount of Korean official development aid (ODA) ever, to construct a system of dams and canals. However, the project faced criticism from its inception because it failed to secure the ‘Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)’ of the Tumandok indigenous people, who have lived in the area for generations.
3. Since 2013, Korean civil society has joined affected indigenous communities and local activists in urging responsible responses from the Korean government and companies. Despite this, construction began in October 2018, and human rights violations against activists and indigenous people opposing the project have since intensified. Armed soldiers have been stationed in the area, intensifying surveillance of opposition activists. In December 2020, a serious human rights violation occurred when nine indigenous leaders opposing the project were extrajudicially killed and 16 others were detained.
4. Currently, dam construction is 77.5% complete, yet indigenous peoples continue to suffer ongoing rights violations, including involuntary displacement, inadequate compensation, and increased flood risks. To raise awareness, activists and indigenous community members revisited Korea after seven years. They filed complaints against the Korea Export-Import Bank (KEXIM) and Daewoo Engineering & Construction (Daewoo E&C), respectively, for violating the EDCF Safeguards and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
5. Attending the press conference, John Alenciaga, an activist with JRPM, stated, “The Jalaur Dam is being built with the blood of Tumandok.” He emphasized that the Export-Import Bank of Korea, as a provider of ODA, “has an obligation to ensure that human rights violations do not occur in all its projects and to rectify them if they do,” urging the suspension of final payments for the Jalaur Mega Dam project.
6. Lee Young-ah from People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, stated that the EDCF established safeguard policies to prevent environmental, social, and human rights harms and protect local residents' rights in large-scale ODA projects. She noted the Jalaur Mega Dam project is the first to apply these safeguards and urged that, in accordance with the safeguards, “the EDCF must responsibly respond to the raised issues by establishing an independent investigation body to handle matters from investigation to resolution.”
7. Attorney Shing Young Chung of KTNC Watch pointed out that, according to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, companies must identify and address human rights and environmental impacts arising from their operations, particularly through stakeholder consultation. She noted that Daewoo E&C failed to fulfill these responsibilities. He urged the Korean NCP to “clarify Daewoo E&C's responsibilities in accordance with the revised Guidelines, which emphasize protecting the rights of human rights defenders, and to facilitate dialogue with the parties harmed by the project.”
8. This press conference was part of joint actions held on the “International Day of Solidarity and Action for the Tumandok People.” Simultaneously in the Philippines, solidarity actions demanded the halt of the Jalaur Mega Dam Project, justice for victims of the 2020 Tumandok massacre, and an end to human rights violations against the Tumandok people.

The Ongoing Suffering of the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines: We Demand Accountability from Korean ODA and Corporations

For the Tumandok Indigenous Peoples, the Jalaur River is not just a river; it is their life and history. They have depended on the Jalaur River for generations to farm and live peacefully.

However, their peace began to be threatened in 2012 when the Korea Export-Import Bank's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) decided to provide 250 billion won in concessional loans to support the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project (Stage II).

The Tumandok indigenous people and local organizations have long opposed the dam construction, citing risks of earthquakes, involuntary displacement, desecration of ancestral burial grounds, and violations of Philippine domestic and international law. They sustained numerous protest campaigns both domestically and internationally, even traveling to Korea in 2018 to seek solidarity. Despite this, construction ultimately commenced, directly and indirectly affecting approximately 17,000 indigenous people residing in 16 highland villages.

As the resistance from the indigenous people and activists intensified, the Philippine government's crackdown became increasingly severe. Armed soldiers were stationed in the villages to create an intimidating atmosphere, and the indigenous people and activists who had visited Korea to request solidarity were labeled ‘persona non grata’. Then, in the early hours of December 30, 2020, a tragedy unfolded: nine indigenous leaders from Tumandok, who had opposed the Jalaur Mega DamDam project, were collectively murdered. Yet, to this day, no one has been held accountable for these extrajudicial killings. During a 2024 visit to the Philippines, the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights urged an independent body to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

It is regrettable that the EDCF, which provided funding for the Project—the very project that sparked all these events—failed to adequately fulfill its obligation to actively monitor and respond to the project's human rights and environmental impacts through safeguards and human rights impact assessments. During the safeguard implementation process, the duty to oversee compliance with human rights and environmental standards was delegated to the Philippine government, and details regarding monitoring and implementation measures remain undisclosed. The Korean NCP closed a case raised by civil society, citing that the Export-Import Bank's concessional loans were not subject to OECD Guidelines. Furthermore, regarding the extrajudicial killings of Tumandok indigenous leaders in December 2020, the EDCF merely repeated the Philippine government's position that these deaths were unrelated to the project in response to civil society's inquiry. Throughout this entire process, the indigenous community's voice was ignored, leaving them with irreparable wounds.

Today, on the “International Day of Solidarity and Action for the Tumandok People,” we express our deepest condolences to the murdered Tumandok leaders and their bereaved families, and urge the swift investigation of the truth and punishment of those responsible. Furthermore, regarding the unresolved issues of involuntary displacement, inadequate living infrastructure, loss of livelihoods, compensation problems, and potential flooding, we urge the EDCF to promptly seek solutions through environmental, social, and human rights impact monitoring, in accordance with its safeguard policies.

We send our solidarity to the Tumandok indigenous people suffering due to this project and urge that measures be taken now to ensure they can live safely and with dignity. Above all, we strongly urge the Korean government to thoroughly review and address the human rights and environmental impacts throughout the process of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects to ensure they never threaten the rights and survival of indigenous peoples, the ‘Guardians of the Earth,’ or human rights and environmental defenders.

We demand the following:

• First, the Export-Import Bank of Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) must suspend final payments until issues raised—involuntary relocation measures, compensation problems, flood risks, and human rights violations—are resolved.
• First, the Export-Import Bank must establish an independent investigation committee to transparently and lawfully investigate the raised issues and take responsible action until resolution.
• Third, the Korean NCP must guarantee the rights of the Tumandok indigenous people through the complaint procedure and execute the process fairly and transparently!
• Fourth, the Philippine government must cease repression against project opposition activities, thoroughly investigate the December 2020 murder of Tumandok indigenous people, punish those responsible, and apologize to the victims!