Dumagats to be displaced by Kaliwa Dam see proposed housing as ‘coffin, jail’

Indigenous tribes that will be displaced by the construction of the China-funded Kaliwa Dam described the proposed alternative houses as “coffins” or “jails” that do not reflect their culture and way of life.

According to a Wednesday report on 24 Oras by Ian Cruz, the proposed housing for the tribespeople will be made out of cement, a far cry from the Anahaw leaves that make up their traditional bahay kubos in Quezon province.

"Tingin ng mga katutubo, ang isang pabahay ay hindi tahanan para sa amin kundi ito'y isang libingan o kulungan para sa aming mga katutubo dahil ito ay hindi kinaugalian o kultura ng mga katutubo na ikulong sa isang pabahay,” said Marcelino Tena, president of SAGIBIN.

SAGIBIN or Samahan ng mga Katutubong Agta, Dumagat, Remontado is a group of indigenous people who fight for the preservation of their ancestral land and the environment.

The proposed houses were designed by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and submitted to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

Apart from the houses, the MWSS also proposed the construction of a tribal hall and a school in the area where the tribespeople will be relocated.

The NCIP said the design of the houses may still change depending on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the indigenous peoples and the MWSS.

“Pag-uusapan doon sa MOA negotiation kung asan banda talaga ‘yung gusto nila,” NCIP Quezon Provincial Director Angelo Sallidao explained.

SAGIBIN also lamented the red-tagging—the harassment of people known or suspected to have communist sympathies—of indigenous peoples.

“Sino ba talaga ‘yung sumisira o hindi sumusunod sa batas? Tama, 'yung hindi sumusunod sa batas natin ay ito 'yung mga komunista. Pero sino ba 'yung komunista? 'Di ba China? Sino ba ang kadikit ng China? E 'di MWSS tapos si Pangulong Duterte,” Tena said.

The Kaliwa Dam, which will be built between Infanta and General Nakar in Quezon, will also affect indigenous tribes in Tanay, Rizal due to the waterways that will be constructed.

In General Nakar, some 43 indigenous families will be directly affected by the construction of the dam while around 6,000 individuals will be indirectly affected.

On Tuesday, the MWSS claimed that they had already gotten the approval of indigenous peoples for the controversial project. —Julia Mari Ornedo/LDF, GMA News