KIBUNGAN, Benguet – Concerned land owners in barangay Badeo criticized some officers of the COHECO Badeo Corporation for allegedly trying to bully and influence officials of the Cordillera office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP-CAR) to cut short the procedures and relax some of the requirements contained in an earlier cease and desist order (CDO) for their proposed 500-megawatt pump storage project in their village.
The sources, who again requested anonymity for security reasons and for fear of reprisal, revealed some COHECO Badeo officers reportedly accompanied some ranking officials of the Department of Energy (DOE) to pay a visit to several NCIP-CAR officials during the third week of November and allegedly insinuated the need for the agency to relax its rules and regulations for the conduct of the free and prior informed consent (FPIC) process and be lenient on some of the pertinent requirements contained in the CDO to allow the proponent to pursue the initial stages of their ambitious project.
“We are grateful to the NCIP-CAR officials for standing firm on the need for project proponents to comply with the existing guidelines and for them to submit the pertinent requirements for the FPIC process to proceed. Cutting short the process and lobbying for the relaxation of the requirements only mean that the company is not capable to pursue the project up to its realization and that the fear of the people that the owners of the company will sell the same once they are able to secure the consent of the affected indigenous peoples and the proper permits is being strengthened,”the source stressed.
Earlier, Calde ordered COHECO Badeo Corporation to cease and desist from conducting activities related to the ground works for their 500-megawatt pump storage hydro power plant project in the locality until it shall be able to submit some 21 requirements which will be subject for evaluation and assessment by the agency prior to the conduct of the FPIC process.
The sources called on the concerned NCIP-CAR officials to stand firm in implementing the FPIC guidelines and requirements and for them not to be pressured by the influence-peddling activities being done by some COHECO Badeo officers for them to cut short the FPIC process and lessen the requirements that they will submit to the concerned government agencies to suit the interest of the company owners.
The sources argued that NCIP-CAR officials must give equal treatment to all proponents for hydro projects in the different parts of the province and for them not to give in to the obvious request of COHECO Badoe Corporation officers to be provided with special treatment since all the proponents of other similar projects were able to comply with the voluminous requirements and why cannot the company also strictly adhere to the prescribed rules and regulations for their project.
According to them, once NCIP-CAR will give in to the alleged bullying and influence-peddling of COHECO Badeo Corporation officers, their credibility and integrity to accord equal treatment to project proponents will be affected and the trust and confidence of the public to their ability to treat all project proponents equally will be affected.
By HENT
