Written by Ivy Mae T. Idos
Published May 7, 2022
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — “This [Kaliwa Dam] will be damaging,” said Indigenous People (IP) leader Marvin Astoveza in a webinar last April 25.
The ₱P12.189 billion 60-meter-high Kaliwa Dam is part of the government’s 2019-2023 project to meet the increasing water demand in Metro Manila and nearby agricultural lands, according to Astoveza and the project’s website.
Astoveza said IPs believe the dam would do more harm than good.
“Sa tingin po namin, ang proyekto pong ito ay hindi po makakalikasan. Hindi po talaga itong aayon sa pangangailangan at tutugon sa climate change," said Astoveza.
(We think this project is not nature-friendly. This will not really align to the needs and solve climate change.)
The project will directly affect Teresa, Infanta and the Agta-Dumagat-Remontado tribes’ Ancestral Domains in General Nakar, Quezon and Tanay, Rizal.
Astovza said that the project did not go through the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) process under the Indigenous People’s Rights Act 1997, Republic Act No. 8371. This called for the consent of the affected IPs first before tampering within the Ancestral domains, but Astoveza said they have not consented to the project.
“Napakahalaga sa amin ang lupaing ninuno sapagkat ito po yung pinangmumulan ng aming pangangailangan sa araw-araw [...] Naririto po ang mga sagradong lugar namin na palulubugin po nitong proyektong ito [...] Ang lahat ng mga bagay diyan sa lupain ninuno ay magkakaugnay—ang tao, ang mga hayop, ang mga halaman [...] ito po ay talagang direktang maapektuhan ng proyekto.” said Astoveza.
(The ancestral domain is very important for us because this is the source of our everyday needs [...] This is the location of the sacred areas the project will submerge [...] Everything in the ancestral domain is connected—the people, the animals, the plants [...] this will be directly affected by the project.)
According to the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) report published last July 2019, the Kaliwa Watershed Forest Reserve (KWFR) is also affected by the project. The KWFR has been proclaimed a National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and Game Refuge Reservation by virtue of Proclamation No. 1636 since 1977.
According to Astoveza, an earthquake would be devastating since the dam is close to a fault line. The Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance Inc. (SSMNA) identified this in November 2019 as the Philippine Fault Zone, alongside the Valley Fault system.
The IPs living in the affected areas are also under the threat of displacement. Though the MWSS has promised relocation to the affected IPs, Astoveza said they do not want this.
“Hindi namin kayang mamuhay nang wala sa Lupaing Ninuno,” said Astoveza.
(We cannot live outside of the Ancestral Domain.)
Furthermore, they think that the Kaliwa Dam is not worth its cost—85% of which is to be borrowed from China, with China Energy Engineering Corporation set to do the construction work.
The IPs believe, instead, that the government should rehabilitate existing dams, and focus on preserving forests which Astoveza claimed would be more beneficial in the long run.
The University of the Philippines Baguio University Student Council (UPB-USC) hosted the educational forum through Zoom and was streamed live on Facebook with over 980 viewers.
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