Dumagat-Remontados to march to urge Marcos to stop Kaliwa Dam project
MANILA, Philippines — Representatives of the indigenous Dumagat-Remontado people whose lives and lands will be affected by the China-funded Kaliwa Dam called on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday to stop the construction of the project and pursue more sustainable alternatives to address the lack of water in Metro Manila.
The construction of the P12.2-billion dam will push through after the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System obtained the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of the indigenous peoples’ communities in Rizal and Quezon province that would be affected by the project.
Communities opposed to the project said they will march to the presidential palace to plead with Marcos to halt dam construction.
Tunneling in the project site already began last year, but members of Dumagat-Remontado communities in the two provinces vowed that they would continue to resist the project.
They said the consent process was railroaded, and accused the MWSS and the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples of intimidating and manipulating community members.
Over 1,400 Dumagat-Remontado families in the two provinces will be affected by the dam project.
"If our lands will be submerged, what will be our sources of livelihood? How will we live? The next generation will inherit nothing," Marites Pauig, a resident of Daraitan in Tanay, Rizal, said in Filipino.
In a letter to President Marcos, community leaders said the construction and the operations of Kaliwa Dam will submerge their ancestral domains, including their sacred grounds, and will deny them their right to fish, hunt and plant crops freely. Those who rely on tourism will be also impacted by the project.
"We are not selfish. We understand that the 14 million residents of Metro Manila need a source of water. There is no problem using the water of Kaliwa River as long as our communities, livelihoods, fields, fishing grounds, mountains, sacred places, and culture are not destroyed," the letter read.
The Dumagat-Remontado communities also told Marcos that the dam project will not bring unity—which is at the center of his presidential campaign—but will lead to division of communities and cause continued unrest.
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Indigenous peoples’ communities and environment groups also stressed that the Kaliwa Dam will destroy Sierra Madre—the longest mountain range in the country that spans from the northern province of Cagayan down to Quezon in southern Luzon.
Protecting the Sierra Madre is critical because it is the site of nearly half of the country’s surviving old-growth forest. It also historically serves as a buffer against storms that develop in the Pacific Ocean, protecting millions of Filipinos living in Luzon.
Indigenous peoples’ communities fear they will experience flooding worse than they dealt with during Typhoon Ulysses in November 2020 if the project pushes through.
"We do not want any project within our ancestral lands, like this Kaliwa Dam, to aggravate the effects of climate change," they said in the letter to Marcos.
They called on the government to study and pursue sustainable and long-term solutions to the capital region’s water problems.
Representatives of fishing and urban poor communities also said the adverse effects of the dam project will be widespread, even impacting those in the lowlands.
Kaliwa Dam is expected to add 600 million liters per day to the water supply of Metro Manila, which is dependent on Angat Dam in Bulacan.
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March to Malacañang
The communities called on Marcos to halt the tunneling works in the municipality of Teresa in Rizal, stressing that the consent process for the project is not yet finished.
They filed a motion for reconsideration and asked for the withdrawal of the certification precondition issued by the NCIP.
The Dumagat-Remontado communities also called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to cancel the Environmental Compliance Certificate issued to the project.
More than 300 indigenous peoples and residents of Quezon and Rizal will march to Malacañang in Manila from General Nakar town from February 15 to 23 to express their resistance to the mega dam project.
Community leader Conchita Calzado said the affected indigenous peoples will not leave Metro Manila until they get a clear answer from the Palace.
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