BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prepares to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), an indigenous youth leader from the Cordillera is calling on the administration to move beyond promises and take concrete action on issues affecting indigenous communities.

Rogyn Beyao, secretary general of Innabuyog-Kalinga, said the President's address should not be another platform for rhetoric but an opportunity to respond to the concerns of indigenous women over large-scale development projects, including megadams, mining operations, and wind farms that they say threaten their ancestral lands and livelihoods.

"The true measure of leadership is whether the government genuinely acknowledges and responds to the urgent demands of indigenous women," Beyao said.

She noted that Cordillera women have long been at the forefront of defending ancestral lands, from the historic opposition to the Chico River Dam project to present-day environmental campaigns.

Women's organizations, including Innabuyog-Gabriela and the Cordillera Women's Education Action Research Center, have argued that environmental degradation disproportionately affects women, who are often responsible for food production and family care in indigenous communities.

Beyao also criticized what she described as a disconnect between the government's recognition of indigenous culture and the treatment of community defenders, who she said continue to face militarization, harassment, red-tagging, and other forms of intimidation.

Ahead of the SONA, she urged the government to make concrete commitments to halt environmentally destructive projects and strengthen protections for environmental and human rights defenders.

"We are not asking for special favors," Beyao said. "We are asserting our rights to self-determination, environmental justice, and safety."