STRONG opposition against the controversial Laiban dam project continues to snowball with yet another strong appeal from the local Churches to scrap the contentious water venture.
Saying that the construction of the dam is inimical to both people and environment, the Ecology network of the arch/dioceses of Manila, Cubao, Pasig, Kalookan, Novaliches, and Antipolo, CBCP-NASSA sent an urgent appeal to Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) asking it to oppose the construction of Laiban Dam.
In its letter to Attorney Diosdado Jose Allado, MWSS administrator, the group urged Allado to junk the project and think of alternatives to solve the impending water crisis.
“Laiban dam is the most expensive project to be undertaken by MWSS, in terms of economic cost, size and expanse of the infrastructure, numbers of stakeholders to be affected, environmental effects, human rights, and the challenges to the existing environmental and indigenous laws, such as Protected Area, Presidential Decree No. 1151 [Philippine Environmental Policy], Environmental Impact Satement System, Presidential Decree no. 1586; Wildlife Protection Act, IPRA, and NIPAs,” the appeal stated.
The Laiban dam venture in Tanay, Rizal, touted to solve the impending water crisis has been a pet project of the Arroyo administration since 2003, according to an earlier statement released to the media by independent think-tank IBON Foundation Inc.
The project will affect around 27,800 hectares of ancestral and agricultural lands, IBON said.
Church and environmental groups have been opposing the project because of its environmental risks and human rights violations against indigenous people living in the area.
If revived, the dam will displace the Dumagats and Remontados who have been living in the watershed area since the time of their ancestors, according to the group.
“The Kaliwa Watershed has been their (IPs) home since time immemorial, even before the existence of the Philippine Government. Indigenous people have a conjugal bond with their land. Uprooting them will render them orphaned from the land that gave birth to their culture, heritage, and the oneness they share with other beings in the area causing further alienation.”
The group reminded MWSS that IPs cannot be displaced from their areas without their free and prior informed consent which the IPRA law only provides in “exceptional circumstances.”
“We do not think that the construction of a dam is an exceptional circumstance, considering that there are other alternative projects that the MWSS may undertake to alleviate the water needs of Metro Manila,” the letter further said.
Aside from the IPs, indigenous species of varied flora and fauna are also imperiled by the project.
The Kaliwa watershed which is home to some endangered species has been classified as a forest reserve, a part of which has been proclaimed as national park under Proclamation No. 1636, thus exempting it from exploitation.
Some of the Globally Endangered species found in the Laiban Dam project area are the Luzon Bearded Wild Pigs (Sus Philippensis), the Philippine Brown Deer (Cervus Marianus), and the Tarictic Hornbill.
“We reiterate that we are stewards of God’s creation on earth. We must care for these beings whose importance we may never learn until they are permanently extinct,” said the group.
Quoting section 25 of the Wildlife Protection Act, the group said that critical habitats shall be protected “from any form of exploitation or destruction which may be detrimental to the survival of the threatened species dependent therein,” adding:
“There is nothing in other provisions of the law that would also allow exploitation. We challenge the MWSS to point to us any provision of this law that would allow their putting up of a dam in the affected areas.
The group likewise raised the issue of the area’s proximity to major earthquake faults which could prove hazardous to people’s lives.
“Are we willing to sacrifice human lives in favor of a project whose main purpose is to alleviate the condition of human lives in the metropolis?” they asked. “The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, reiterates that the RIGHT TO SAFE ENVIRONMENT is one of the basic human rights that the State must protect,” they added.
Citing studies done on the project, its costly effects on lives, economy and environment, the group said an alternative should be considered for the project.
“There are studies that indicate that this project would produce water that would be very costly for Metro Manila residents. The take-or-pay provision also needs to be further studied as it appears that the same will be highly prejudicial to the government.”
“Alternatives to the project must be considered, including the alternative of no action. We call on the EMB to carefully consider alternatives to the project before it even grants an ECC. We call on the MWSS to study and consider rehabilitating Wawa Dam and its watershed as one of the less expensive option. The EIS System provides for a cost-benefits analysis that must consider all alternatives so that the least destructive alternative may be given importance or even chosen in the end,” the letter pointed out.
The Laiban dam project has been opposed mostly by the Dinagat and Remontado tribes since its inception in the 1960s up to the mid-1980s by the late dictator, Ferdinand E. Marcos. The project was shelved because of the strong opposition of the people in Southern Tagalog, only to be revived in 2003 by the current administration.
A copy of the appeal letter was also sent to DENR secretary Lito Atienza, EMB office, President Gloria Arroyo, Senate, Congress and OGCC.
Among those who signed the appeal were Fr. Benito Tuazon, Ecology Minister of Manila archdiocese, Fr. Bienvenido Miguel, Director of Social Action of Antipolo diocese, Fr. Joven Antique, Ecology Minister of Pasig diocese, Fr. Octavio Bartiana, Ecology Minister of Kalookan diocese, Fr. Antonio Labiao of Novaliches diocese, Fr. Arnel Recinto of Cubao diocese, Engr. Joyce Palacol, CBCP-NASSA Ecology Desk coordinator; Atty. Galahad Pe Benito, environmental lawyer and legal consultant; Alfredo Albor, CARE Foundation Executive director; and Sr. Maria Aida Velasquez, OSB, Lingkod Tao Kalikasan Foundation, Inc. Coordinator.
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