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Dumagat-Remontados begin 9-day march to Malacañang to protest Kaliwa Dam


The Dumagat-Remontado indigenous peoples on February 15 began their nine-day march to Malacanang to protest the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, according to a report on "24 Oras" by Sandra Aguinaldo.

From General Nakar in Quezon, the group stopped by Infanta town for a program.  On their journey, they will also take brief stops in several towns and at the office of the Manila Water Works and Sewerage Systems (MWSS), the body in charge of the dam project.

The members of the tribe want to hand President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. a letter detailing why they are against the project.

"Nakalagay doon sa sulat prticular yung directly affected communities at pinirmahan ng ating katutubong leaders. Ipatigil yung construction... sa pamamagitan ng maayos na dayalogo ...sana ito ay papakinggan ng pangulo," Conrad Vargas, coordinator of ALMA DAM, said.

The Dumagat-Remontados said there was lack of consultation with the communities that will be affected by the project.  They also said the dam construction will uproot the indigenous peoples in the area.

The MWSS said proper consultations were conducted before the project started.  It said the construction of a tunnel in Teresa, Rizal and road improvement near the dam site will continue.

"Sa amin po sa MWSS, ang project to natin ay tuluy-tuloy naman po,unless we have received any official order po from a qualified court or the president himself. We will follow any instructions na ibibigay sa amin," Ryan Ayson, MWSS Kaliwa Dam project manager, said.

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples said consultations were conducted with the IPs to get their free, prior and informed consent.

"Sa first stage ng pagkuha ng consent kung walang convicing na consensus elevate sa next step at kung wala pa, may third level pa. Lahat po yan ginawa dito sa Kaliwa Dam. Ang kahuli hulihan is nakuha na yung consent ng community," NCIP's Cesar Ortega said.

The project aims to augment Metro Manila's water requirements to avert a crisis.—LDF, GMA Integrated News

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