Felipe Horacio “Zig” Marasigan III has many cherished memories in the small town of San Juan, Batangas. Bringing their merienda to the beach, swimming with the jellyfish, and lining up to wash themselves off at an old-fashioned water pump. At the time of his youth, San Juan lacked the developments it enjoys today, but what it lacked back then didn’t take away from the true treasure of San Juan—its abundant biodiversity.
An abundance that was apparently threatened in 1977 when the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining (PASAR) Corporation proposed to build a copper smelting plant in their small town. This, according to the book Barako 77 by Barako Publishing . “Barako,” a word that means “strong” or tough” in Filipino, is a fitting name for the townspeople who opposed PASAR’s proposal.
In the book, San Juan was described as “sparsely populated, rural, simple, and challenging,” during the 1970s. Electricity, plumbing, and modern conveniences were a luxury to most of its residents, especially in the barrio. The copper smelting project promised the people great economic development, a prospect that first excited the town.
However, if it had been built, San Juan’s environment, health, and livelihood would have suffered from the plant’s pollution. Zig’s grandfather and namesake, Horacio Marasigan Sr., knew that something had to be done.
Founding the Concerned Citizens of San Juan (CCSJ) with like-minded people, Horacio spearheaded the information .