KABAYAN, Benguet – Concerned indigenous peoples from various barangays in this fourth class municipality raised serious concerns on the recent conduct of consensus-building that is part of the free and prior informed consent (FPIC) process for various minihydro projects that will be built along major river systems in the locality.
Sources, who requested anonymity for personal and security reasons, questioned the decision of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to proceed with the negotiation for the construction of the Eddet 1 and 2 minihydro power plants with a total capacity of 10.5 megawatts last September 6 when the results of the consensus-building among the indigenous peoples last August 28 is still hanging contrary to declarations that majority of the elders favored the said projects.
Further, the sources also raised concern on the alleged interference of the local officials in the conduct of the process where Mayor Florante Bantales, Jr., with the participation of some employees of the provincial government, allegedly convened the participating tribal leaders on August 26 at the municipal hall to reportedly conduct a so-called dry run for what will happen during the consensus building that was done last August 28.
The sources claimed that the participating tribal leaders overwhelmingly rejected the proposed put up of a 20-megawatt minihydro power plant along the Agno river named as Pacso 3 and 4 while the questioned vote for the Eddet 1 and 2 plants was still hanging considering the issues that were raised by some elders who insisted that there were alleged attempts to rig the results of the process in favor of the developer.
Earlier, the embattled IPs already sought the assistance of concerned government agencies and national officials to look into the alleged attempts by the local officials, in cahoots with some elders, to railroad the conduct of the FPIC process that will pave the way for the construction of the minihydro power plants along major river systems in the municipality, particularly the Eddet and Agno rivers.
According to the sources, the affected IPs are vehemently against these energy projects because of environmental, cultural and other related issues that might affect their sacred grounds in the different barangays, especially the impacted communities.
The sources assailed the proposed construction of the minihydro power plants within forest and watershed reservations that might compromise the state of the environment in the communities aside from the siltation of the involved river systems aggravated by the current threats posed by the siltation of the Ambuclao dam.
The sources challenged the NCIP FPIC team not to take part in any attempt to railroad the process because the concerned sectors are ready to raise the relevant legal issues against the proposed project that will surely contribute in the serious delays in the implementation of the put up of the minihydro power plants in strategic areas in the municipality.
The Pacso river traces its headwaters from the Upper Agno and Mount Data watersheds while the Eddet waters emanates from the Mount Pulag National Park.
The sources urged the IPs to be vigilant against the attempts of the NCIP, concerned local officials and other sectors, to rig the results of the process and for them to voice out their opposition to the projects which was what they did when they overwhelmingly rejected the Pacso minihydro projects right from the start. By Dexter A. See
