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This press release is being sent by advocates for the protection and conservation of Sierra Madre. Stopping the Laiban Dam construction is among the ways to protect Sierra Madre. PRESS RELEASE Attention: News Editors, Reporters Agta/Dumagat RALLY AGAINSTS LAIBAN DAM PROJECT Venue: MWSS Office, Balara, Quezon City Date & Time: July 31, 2009 /10:00 AM Please Contact: Save Sierra Madre! Stop Laiban Dam Coalition Napoleon Buendicho - 0909-915-7681 Fr. Pete Montallana – 0916-551-9348 Soti Sabarre- 0910-391-6128 ________________________________________________________________________ Tribal Folks Rally Againsts Laiban Dam Project In their traditional bahag and tapis and pana (bow and arrows) members of Agta/Dumagat tribe from Northern Quezon troops to Metropolitan Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to voice their opposition againsts the Laiban Dam Project on July 31, Friday, at 10:00 in the morning, at MWSS, Balara, Quezon City. The protesters spit their “nganga” out on the ground and gates of MWSS to dramatize their anger and fear for the project. They also poured out two gallons of red sticky saliva they collected from their fellow Agtas in different villages. They joined by the MAPAGPALA Coalition, the group of fisherfolks from Laguna Lake which also protested the construction of the road dike project in Taguig in 2002 and members of Save Sierra Madre! Stop Laiban Dam Coalition. The indigenous people in the Philippines are known for their betel nut chewing or “nganga” - mixture of betel nuts and betel leaves, rolled and coiled tobacco, and apog (that white powder they add to the concoction before chewing it). The Agta/Dumagat is the largest population of indigenous people in Sierra Madre Mountain. The Save Sierra Madre! Stop Laiban Dam Coalition, a network of non-government organizations and tribal communities have warned against the project's adverse impact on the environment and community, including indigenous people, and voiced fears its location near geoledgical faults could pose dangers to the public. The Samahan ng mga Katutubong Agta na Binabaka at Ipinaglalaban ang Lupaing Ninuno (SAGIBIN), the federation of the Agtas in Quezon warned that it could trigger a repeat of the November 29, 2004, flashfloods that left more than a thousand people dead in the towns of Infanta, Real and General Nakar. Many casualties were indigenous people, many of them women and children. “Dahil sa Laiban Dam na ‘yan muli na namang inilalagay ng gobyerno sa tiyak na delubyo ang aming buhay. Hindi na sila natuto sa malaking baha na kumitil ng libu-libong buhay sa Infanta noong 2004 dulot ng malabis na pagpuputol ng puno sa aming bundok. Sa pamamagitan ng inipon naming laway ay lunurin nawa sila ng ispiritu ng aming mga ninuno upang maisip nila ang kapakanan naming mga katutubo at hindi lang ang perang makukurakot nila,” said Conching Calzado, president of the federation. The Arroyo administration has already approved the revival of the 1 billion US dollars Laiban dam Project, which would take up to six years to finish. The 113-meter high rockfill Laiban Dam is projected to be as big as the San Roque Multipurpose Dam in Pangasinan, which reportedly was a factor behind flashfloods that submerged numerous towns in Pangasinan, Tarlac and other provinces. The revival of the Laiban dam threatens to submerge nine barangays in the municipality of Tanay, Rizal and one in General Nakar. More than 27,800 hectares of agricultural land will be destroyed. The construction and operation of the Laiban Dam would result in the mandatory dislocation of more than 10,000 families of farmers and ethnic minorities culturally, socially, economically and politically. For the indigenous people, the Laiban Dam will not only destroy their homes and livelihood but their culture as well. It will desecrate their sacred places such as their burial grounds and places for rituals and worship. The government did not even bother to think of their well-being. “Kapag nasira ang kultura naming mga katutubo ay para na ring pinutol ang aming buhay”, said by Erning Conchada, eldest of the Agta tribe. Barangay San Ysiro, Antipolo City is identified for the relocation site of the affected families, majority are Remontados of Tanay, which they do not agree. That land is also contested by a group of agrarian reform beneficiaries affiliated with the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid or PAKISAMA. The dam project will also affect the Agta/Dumagat’s claim for their ancestral domain (more or less 166,000 hectares Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) was already approved by the National Commission for the Indigenous People and just waiting for the official awarding by President Arroyo). However, the awarding is delayed because a portion of the dam is inside the approved CADT according to the Agtas. “Sa tagal nang panahon naming hinantay ang awarding ng CADT ay hindi pa matuloy-tuloy dahil malamang sa inaantala nila dahil sa Laiban Dam na iyan. Kung San Miguel ang makakuha ng proyekto, e, mas higit tayong dapat magbantay dahil alam naman natin na si Danding Cojuangco ang may-ari niyan. Malapit ‘yan kay GMA”, Quezon Tribal Governor Napoleon Buendicho told. The MWSS has already found investors through the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) of Danding Cojuangco and his Japanese allies. However, the bidding process for the project is tainted with anomalies as reported in the media. “Hindi pa sila kumukuha ng permiso sa aming tribu kaya hindi nila puwedeng ituloy ang dam na ‘yan. Mula sa gabay ng aming mga matatanda ay nagkakaisa ang aming buong tribu na tutulan ang Laiban Dam”, Buendicho added. The Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) mandates that any project planned in IP ancestral lands requires a Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from the tribal communities where the project is located. There are reports of massive land rights buying in Tanay. The government engages the poor in devious transactions by offering money for them to leave. But their experience has taught them not to accept the offer which is very little compared to the cost of leaving their lands. The growing public clamor against the Laiban Dam has caused the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to beef up its forces in the location of the dam project and the tribal communities have been heavily militarized. This impedes the movement of the people particularly in seeking for livelihood and to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the NPA and the AFP. Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) recruitment among the Agta/Dumagat has also been stepped up by the AFP. The Agta/Dumagat found allies within the Church and lay people of the Prelature of Infanta who earlier issued strong statement against the construction of the Laiban Dam. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |