The Philippine government, in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s instructions to accelerate the development of all renewable power projects in the country, is aggressively scaling up the utilization of renewable sources nationwide. Part of the Department of Energy (DOE)’s announcement is the amendment of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 to fast track clean energy use of the country. This includes allowing 100% foreign ownership of renewable energy projects. The government is targeting to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix to 35% by Y2030 and 50% by Y2040.
Pan Pacific Renewable Power Phils Corp (PPRPPC) will develop several hydropower projects in the Apayao-Abulug River. It was able to secure the Certification Precondition from NCIP for both its 150MW and 250MW Hydropower Projects in September Y2021 and February Y2022 respectively. Both Gened 1 and Gened 2 are included in DOE’s pipeline for renewables in the next 5 years.
The 150MW Gened 1 will be constructed in Brgy. Lt Balag in the Municipality of Pudtol while the 250MW will be constructed in Brgy. Madatag in the Municipality of Kabugao, Province of Apayao. The entire Province of Apayao is an Ancestral Domain area .
Just like the 150MW Gened 1 Hydropower project, the 250MW Gened 2 Hydropower Project was not spared by disinformation campaign by oppositionists who’s only motive is to ensure both projects won’t see the light of day. One of the leading oppositionists is the Kabugao Youth headed by Jann Alexis Lappas and Jillie Karl Basan misrepresent themselves as the Isnag youth representative of Kabugao. According to sources, the Provincial Government of Apayao only acknowledges KIPY TADDO as the only youth organization of Kabugao Apayao. The Kabugao Youth has been spreading a different narrative just to gather support from both local and international communities without realizing that their actions only exacerbated the development of the Province of Apayao and the whole country itself.
The legitimate and authorized elders of Gened 2 have already taken up the cudgels to end all the hysteria caused by the trolls and fake news spurned by anti-progress oppositionists who are just looking after themselves and not the welfare of their fellow underserved and unelectrified Isnag households in the Province of Apayao. Accordingly, 80% of the entire Province of Apayao especially the uplands have no electricity.
Some one hundred ninety seven authorized elders and leaders of the Isnag tribe in the Municipality of Kabugao renewed their all-out support to the proposed 250-Megawatt (MW) Gened-2 Renewable hydropower project of PPRPPC that will contribute in the overall growth and development of their ancestral domain; providing sustainable supply of renewable power that will be infused to the grid to help reduce the cost of power while at the same time contribute to the government’s over-all objective of shifting to renewable power source.
The 250MW Gened 2 Hydropower project will affect only three (3) of the 22 barangays in Kabugao namely Brgys. Madatag, Dibagat and Tuyangan. The original concept of Gened 2 was a 335MW hydropower plant but this was reduced to 250MW in response to the clamor of the community to lessen the impact areas in Kabugao and Calanasan.