COA urged to look into P20M allegedly released by MWSS to IP community for Kaliwa Dam project

Two progressive lawmakers on Friday urged the Commission on Audit (COA) to look into the P20 million supposedly given by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to an indigenous people (IP) community.

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate wants to know if the amount is some kind of bribery so that the community will allow the construction of the Kaliwa Dam project.

"Ang sabi ito raw ay disturbance fee pero sabi kasi ng iba, parang lumalabas na bribery 'yan for different IP group na pumayag na ibigay 'yung consent nila doon sa Kaliwa Dam," Zarate told GMA News Online.

(Some say it's disturbance fee but others say, it seems like it's bribery for IP groups to give their consent to the project.)

"Supposedly, para ito sa mga programa ng IP kaya gusto natin ma-audit ito dahil ang sabi ay ginamit ito sa pang-suweldo o kung ano-ano pa, so saan napunta ang P20 million na ito?" he asked.

(Supposedly it's for IP programs so we want it audited because we heard it was used instead for salaries and others. So what happened to the P20 million?)

He said COA should look into the matter as the money used was public funds.

GMA News Online has already reached out to MWSS chair Rey Velasco for his comment but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

No consent

Zarate said five out of the six IP communities consulted by the MWSS for the dam's construction did not provide their consent on the dam project. The community that gave the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) was the one that allegedly received the P20 million.

"Inamin din naman ng NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) na dahil nga madaming grupo diyan, ginawa nilang anim na clusters 'yung sa Rizal and Quezon and doon yata sa Quezon, out of the six clusters, lima ang di pumayag. After noon, lumabas nga itong issue na in 2019, naglabas nga ng P20 million 'yung MWSS," he said.

(According to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples they have to divide the IP groups to six clusters each in Rizal and Quezon. Out of the six clusters in Quezon, five were opposed to the project. This issue about the P20 million first came out in 2019.)

The FPIC protects the right of IPs to self-determination and to freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro said if the amount was a public fund, it must be determined how it was disbursed.

"If it is a private fund, we need also to know its purpose. Padulas ba ito o suhol para mas madaling mapapayag ang mga IP sa proyektong Kaliwa Dam (is this some kind of grease money)?" Castro said in a separate message.

The Kaliwa Dam project, a venture traversing the provinces of Rizal and Quezon, is expected to help meet the growing water demand in Metro Manila and Southern Luzon as well as to reduce total dependence on the Angat Dam.

About 85% of the project will be funded through a Chinese loan, while the remaining 15% will be financed by the MWSS.

This project is being opposed by some groups and individuals as this could adversely affect the environment and nearby communities.  —KBK, GMA News