Quezon to Manila march planned vs Laiban dam

Members of various environmental organizations will embark on a 148-kilometer march next month to air their strong opposition against the multi-billion-peso dam project in Tanay, Rizal. Members of the Save Sierra Madre Network (SSMN), Pambansang Kilusan ng Samahang Magsasaka (Pakisama), and the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) are opposing the P50-billion project as it will displace some 4,500 families in seven barangays in Tanay. The construction of Laiban Dam, a joint venture of the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and San Miguel Bulk Water Co., will also destroy habitats of endemic and endangered species in the town’s forested areas. “Hindi dam ang nagbibigay ng tubig kundi ang gubat (Dams do not give water but forests)," said Martin Francisco of SSMN. The dam, meant solely to supply water and not to generate electricity, stands 113 meters high and will have a reservoir to cover 28,000-hectares of land. [See: San Miguel to partner with 2 Japanese groups for Laiban dam]

The planned march is similar to what a group of peasant farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon did two years ago to press the government to award to them the 144 hectares of land that they had fought for the last two decades. In October 2007, the farmers – collectively known as the Sumilao farmers – traveled on foot the more than 1,700-kilometer stretch from Bukidnon to Manila. Their ordeal won them support from various sectors including the Catholic Church and prompted Malacañang to give them their demands. Those who are opposed to the construction of the Laiban Dam, reportedly San Miguel’s biggest project in its 131 years of existence, will try to replicate this feat next month. March vs dam The march, which is expected to have 100 participants, will start in General Nakar in Quezon province on November 4. The marchers expect to reach Malacañang a week later, or on November 12. On the way, the group plans to pass by the MWSS office in Balara, Quezon City. The MWSS had said in the past that the construction of the Laiban Dam is being pushed to meet the water supply requirement of Metro Manila, which the agency said could be facing a water shortage in the future. Pakisama’s Jon Sarmiento said it is ironic that the dam will supply water in Metro Manila but poses danger to three Quezon provinces – Infanta, Real, and Nakar – in case it collapses. “Ito ay proyektong negosyo at hindi serbisyong publiko (This is business and not meant for public service)," he said. The FDC noted that the site of the planned reservoir is surrounded by a number of fault lines, five of which have been identified in previous studies as active. The dam is also reportedly 20 kilometers away from the Marikina-Infanta fault line Security, not supply MWSS administrator Diosdado Jose Allado said the more important issue that the construction of the Laiban dam hopes to address is not the water supply shortage but water security in Metro Manila. Allado said the cyclones that ravaged a big part of Luzon in the last two months brought dams in near-spilling levels and damaged numerous dikes. The MWSS will be grooming the Laiban Dam to become an alternative water source for Metro Manila, especially during times when the Angat Dam in Bulacan, which supplies 97 percent of water in the country’s capital, becomes an unviable source of water during typhoons. “Ondoy and Pepeng showed us that water security is a very, very important consideration. And when we talk about water security, hindi tayo dapat naka-depend sa isang dam lang, sa Angat dam (We should not be dependent on a sole water source)," Allado told GMANews.TV. Currently, a contract for the multi-billion-peso dam project has yet to be finalized between the MWSS Selection Committee, which is tasked to bid out the project, and the San Miguel Bulk Water Co. “During our last board meeting, the committee told me mayroon pang conditions na hindi pa nakukumpleto (there are still conditions that have yet to be met)," Allado said. Despite opposition against it, Allado assured the project will push through once details of the agreement are “hammered out." “They (protesters) can walk all they want. I would not hold my breath. They can speak their mind. They are objecting for the sake of objecting," he said. He denied earlier reports that the MWSS and the San Miguel Bulk Water Co. had been keeping the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the agency tasked to assess the soundness of government infrastructure projects, in the dark. “There is nothing to hide because that (joint agreement) is proprietary information. Walang itinatago (Nothing is being hidden) and the two parties are negotiating," Allado assured. [See: MWSS has yet to provide details about San Miguel dam deal] Increase Apart from large-scale displacements and environmental concerns, the FDC also fears that the construction will result to additional expenses to water consumers. “Consumers will be made to bear an additional cost of P18 to P20 for each cubic meter in addition to the water rates presently being collected by Maynila and Manila Water for water distribution," the FDC said. FDC advocacy coordinator, Dianne Roa, told GMANews.TV that she sees one main reason why the MWSS is determined on pushing for the joint-agreement “I would like to think that they are in it for the bragging rights. That’s the main attraction of large-scale projects all over the world," Roa said. - GMANews.TV