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Cellophil Resources Corporation (popularly known simply as Cellophil, or CRC) was a logging monopoly in the Philippines during Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos.

Owned by Marcos crony Herminio Disini, it is one of a handful of corporations considered collectively responsible for the massive deforestation in the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos' martial law regime.

Indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region—supported by environmentalists, church organizations, academics, and the Free Legal Assistance Group—organized a protest movement that helped shut down Cellophil after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986.

Background Herminio Disini -Discuss Marcos -Discuss Monopolies

Cellophil was one of the companies owned by

HERMINIO DISINI

Herminio Disini was married to Imelda's first cousin, Dr. Paciencia Escolin, who served as her personal physician. He was also known to be one of the golfing buddies of Ferdinand.

In 1973, Marcos awarded Cellophil a 200,000 hectare logging and paper-pulp concession.

Disini had timber and pulpwood operations in Abra and Kalinga-Apayao in Northern Luzon.

Hundreds of families and indigenous groups were evicted for the benefit of his company, backed by presidential degrees.

CELLOPHIL

In 1970, Disini established Philippine Tobacco Filters Corporation (PTFC). While the investment was minimal, Disini's big break came when Marcos issued Presidential Decree 750 on July 21, 1975, where it increased the tariff on raw materials imported by the competitor by a 100%. This forced the competitor out of business.

In 1973, Disini's company, Cellophil Resources Corporation (popularly known simply as Cellophil), was granted logging concessions in Abra and Kalinga-Apayao.

Cellophil was given authority to exploit 99,565 hectares of pine trees in the area, despite violating two articles of the 1973 Constitution. Articles II and XV of the Constitution provided that the "State shall respect the customs and traditions of cultural minorities and ensure their development as self-reliant communities".

Another presidential decree banned all logging operations in the Ilocos region, except for Cellophil. Marcos also issued PD 410, declaring that ancestral lands should be cultivated and set aside for the exclusive use of indigenous peoples. However, the province of Abra was excluded from the decree, conveniently because Disini had his logging concessions there.

PROTEST MOVEMENT

PD 410 raised fears among the Tinggians, the indigenous group whose ancestral land now being destroyed by Disini's loggers. The Tinggians petitioned Marcos for inclusion but they were snubbed. Disini's companies victimized the indigenous groups dwelling in his logging area. The Tinggians reported seeing roving jeeps of guards, and that their rice fields, pasture lands, and communal forests were usurped.

Cellophil forcibly took 55 hectares of agricultural land in Northern Luzon, affecting not only the Tingguians but also the Kalingas and the Bontocs. Cellophil forced the farmers to sell their lands. In Gaddani, Tayum, farmers were forced to sell their lands at a price dictated by the Cellophil, and those refused had their crops bulldozed and their water supply cut off. Cellophil also threatened to acquire a presidential decree to confiscate the lands if the farmers refused to comply. The Tinggians organized to prepare to fight for their rights and their way of life. The government responded by imposing complete militarization in areas with logging activities.

The Philippine Constabulary banned community meetings, declared that opposition to Cellophil activities were "anti-government" and "subversive", and forced people to work on community roads and bridges without pay. They were offered bribes to cease their protests, yet the tribes continued.

Affected tribes called for a peace pact and drafted a resolution to Marcos, informing the President of Cellophil's refusal of a fair dialogue and their military harassment. They did not receive a reply, and Cellophil continued to destroy their ancestral domains.