DUROS 2: The wind is blowing south. Let us listen.

Today, I devote this column to the organizers, working committee members, conveners, sponsors, experts, resource persons, speakers, fisherfolk, and participants gathered for the much-awaited DUROS 2: Multi-Stakeholder Consultation and Solutions-Based Workshop at the auditorium of the Central Bicol State University in Agriculture (CBSUA), Pili, Camarines Sur.

It is a one-day marathon of listening, learning, sharing, questioning, and, hopefully, finding solutions.In Bicol, duros means wind. But today, that wind carries more than weather. It carries questions. It carries uncertainty. But all are here to listen and be properly heard and informed. It carries change that may redefine the future of our coastal communities. This important consultation is being led by the Tabang Bikol Movement, the Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation, the Central Bicol State University in Agriculture (CBSUA), and the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (BISCAST) with the Ocean Centre Philippines (OCP)—institutions brought together by a shared commitment to ensure that development in Bicol is informed, inclusive, and responsive to the people it will affect most. The participation of the University of the Philippines and its experts is particularly significant. As the country’s premier state university, supported by taxpayers and entrusted with the public good, its role in grounding this discussion in science, evidence, and honest inquiry is essential.

This strategic collaboration aims to leverage the unique strengths of each partner institution to create a more resilient and equitable future for the Bicol region. By integrating academic rigor with grassroots activism, the consultation facilitates a deeper understanding of the socio-economic barriers facing local communities. The primary objective is to develop a unified framework for sustainable growth that prioritizes disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and social protection for vulnerable sectors.

Participants are currently engaged in intensive workshops designed to map out regional assets and identify critical gaps in infrastructure and social services. This participatory process ensures that the voices of farmers, fishers, and indigenous groups are at the forefront of the development agenda, fostering a sense of local ownership and long-term commitment to the proposed interventions.

As a Bicolana who has worked with communities, educational institutions, and development initiatives, I have seen how progress can inspire hope—and how it can also create anxiety when people feel excluded from decisions that will shape their future. That is why the proposed offshore wind developments in Camarines Sur deserve honest, informed, and people-centered dialogue.Bicol is rapidly emerging as a strategic frontier in the country’s renewable energy transition. At least six offshore wind projects are proposed in Camarines Sur, including the US$3 billion, 1-gigawatt offshore wind project planned in San Miguel Bay. On paper, this looks like progress.Renewable energy is essential. Climate change is real. The Philippines needs cleaner energy and stronger energy security.

But here in Bicol, development is never simply about investment numbers.San Miguel Bay is not vacant water waiting for industrial use. It is one of our richest fishing grounds. It feeds families. It sustains livelihoods. It defines culture, identity, and food security for thousands. So the question is not whether renewable energy is necessary.

The deeper question is this: Can we pursue it without sacrificing the communities who have long depended on these waters? This is why DUROS 2 was convened—not as an anti-development gathering, but as a platform for truth-telling, science, and collaborative problem-solving. And the strength of this consultation lies in who has come to the table.

National and regional agencies are participating, including the Department of Energy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development. Scientists and researchers from the UP Resilience Institute, the Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute, and energy experts are here to ground discussions in evidence. The private sector is represented by Copenhagen Offshore Partners, whose officials will provide project updates and engage stakeholders directly Civil society is present. Faith-based organizations are here. Chambers of commerce, academe, youth groups, women’s organizations, fisherfolk associations, farmers, local government units, professionals, and community leaders have joined this important conversation.

This matters. Because inclusive development begins with inclusive dialogue. Today’s consultation brings together distinguished voices: Congressman Nelson S. Legacion as keynote speaker; Nancy Fernandez on national and regional renewable energy policy; Dennis dela Torre of the UP Resilience Institute on climate justice and risk governance; Ian Mark Villa of the Department of Energy on offshore wind viability in disaster-prone Camarines Sur; Ariel Pioquinto of BFAR on the fishing sanctuary of San Miguel Bay; Aaron Buena-Agua of DENR on environmental permitting and ESG risks; and Malene Rahbek of Copenhagen Offshore Partners on where the project stands today.

But perhaps the most important voices are not behind podiums. They are the fisherfolk and coastal communities whose lives are directly tied to the bay. During our first DUROS consultation last February with fisherfolk from six coastal municipalities surrounding San Miguel Bay, one message came through clearly: communities are not rejecting development. They are demanding transparency. They are demanding safety. They are demanding inclusion. They are demanding respect. They are asking legitimate questions: Will fishing grounds be restricted? What happens to fish migration routes and spawning habitats? Will submarine cables and turbine foundations damage marine ecosystems? Will benefits remain local—or flow elsewhere? Will communities become partners—or mere spectators? These are not anti-progress questions.

They are questions of justice. And I also learned something sobering from our conversations in San Miguel Bay: fish stocks are already under pressure from illegal trawling and destructive fishing practices. So the fear is understandable. Will offshore wind developments worsen an already fragile marine ecosystem? As a Bicolana, I believe development without trust creates resistance. Development with participation creates ownership.

If offshore wind is to become part of Bicol’s future, then Bicolanos must help shape that future. We cannot call a project sustainable if communities lose livelihoods. We cannot speak of inclusion if consultation comes only after major decisions are underway. We cannot celebrate clean energy while ignoring ecological uncertainty and social displacement. Renewable energy must not become a new form of extraction. Bicol deserves a transition that is science-based, equitable, resilient, and humane. The strongest measure of progress is not the height of turbines or the size of investment.

It is whether ordinary people can honestly say: We were informed. We were heard. We were respected. My deepest thanks to the volunteers and leaders of Tabang Bikol Movement, our partner institutions, the academe, experts, civic leaders, sponsors, the RDC, the private sector, fisherfolk communities, youth, women, professionals, and all who made this gathering possible. You have brought together kindred spirits from different sectors—not merely to debate, but to listen.And as participants sign their pledge of commitment today, may it not be merely ceremonial words on paper, but a genuine covenant—that development in Bicol will be transparent, accountable, science-based, and truly beneficial, especially to the least among our brethren.

Not tomorrow.Now. Because the winds of change are already here. The question is whether they will carry Bicol forward—or leave some communities behind.