KALIWA DAM | Indigenous peoples’ groups question ‘railroading’ of Kaliwa Dam project

January 26, 2022 , 08:07 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(January 26, 2022) – Indigenous people living in the jungles of Sierra Madre east of the capital have protested the China-funded water project, which is expected to begin work this year, questioning the ongoing approval of the dam project despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) have been in talks with the Dumagat indigenous peoples from Quezon this week to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to push forward the Kaliwa Dam Project.

Marcelino Tena, president of Samahan ng Katutubong Agta Dumagat, has expressed concerns on the MOA while Rizal and Quezon provinces are still under Alert Level 3 and many of them have not yet been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“Sa kabila ng Alert Level 3 kami ngayon ay sapilitang idadaos ang nasabing MOA,” Tena said in a statement. “Ang ipinangangamba namin ang mga katutubo ay mga walang bakuna na alam kong mapanganib para sa amin.”

The indigenous people accused the government of railroading the dam project to favor the Chinese contractors.

Stop Kaliwa Dam Network, a broad network of groups opposing the project, has criticized the NCPI and MWSS for railroading the project, with many of the invited Dumagat peoples barred from personally attending the MOA validation as they were not vaccinated. Some of the unvaccinated persons could only attend via Zoom.

The network urged NCIP to postpone the negotiations to protect the interest of the indigenous peoples, noting that preventing them from participating in the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) process is illegal.

“Kung concern pala sila na magka-COVID kami ay dapat hindi na nila ipinilit na ituloy ang asembliya,” said Conchita Calzado, one of the Dumagat leaders. “Hindi rin kami magkaintindihan sa mga pinag-uusapan dahil magkakahiwalay ang mga tao at hindi maayos ang signal. Talagang kinokontrol nila kung sino lang ang magsasalita.”

The network said the MOA signing with Dumagat peoples in the Rizal Province last December for the project invited only select leaders. The leaders signed in favor of the project

The government has been pushing for the construction of the project to address the dwindling water supply in the capital region. But it met opposition from environmental groups and indigenous people’s groups, warning that the dam might destroy the ecosystem and displaced indigenous communities in nearby areas.

Engineer Jose Dorado, a deputy administrator for MWSS, assured that they are consulting all indigenous peoples for the project.

“Ang pakiusap natin sa IP makipagtulungan samin para mapabilis proseso at para walang maapektuhan ng matindi sa pagpapatupad ng project,” Dorado said. “Hindi po ito gagawin ng gobyerno kung di kailagnan ng taumbayan… Dito po tayo nagbibigay ng sapat na tubig.”

The $283 million dam project awarded to China Energy Engineering Corp, which faced delays due to the pandemic, is expected to complete its construction in 2026. The MWSS is also still waiting to get clearance or FPIC from the Dumagat groups, which they hope to get by February latest.

(MM | With reports from Shyla Francisco, News5)

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