KABAYAN, Benguet – Indigenous peoples in the thirteen barangays of this municipality voted to reject the proposal of the Aboitiz-owned Hydroelectric Development Corporation (HEDCOR) to put up a 20-megawatt hydropower plant along the Agno river in its upper portion in Amlimay, Buguias down to Pacso, Kabayan.
With a vote of 58 members of the Council of Elders in favor, 62 against and 8 abstentions, the indigenous peoples of the municipality rejected the proposed renewable energy project due to the serious potential negative impact of the company’s tunneling project on the abundant water supply of the river system that sustains their agricultural production in farms along the stretch of the river system.
HEDCOR owns a pre-development service contract to development a 20-megawatt hydropower plant in Pacso, Kabayan, a 45-megawatt plant within the Nalatang River and another 27-megawatt plant in nearby Bokod town.
Under Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), companies intending to develop, exploit and utilize the rich resources of the State must first secure the free and prior informed consent of the indigenous peoples who are directly and indirectly affected by the said project before implementing any activities within the ancestral domain of these indigenous peoples.
“The consensus of the indigenous peoples and Council of Elders is to reject the proposed 20-megawatt hydroelectric project of HEDCOR Benguet Inc. from Amlimay, Buguias to Pacso, Kabayan,” the Kabayan Indigenous Peoples Organization stated in their resolution.
The Kabayan indigenous peoples claim they have earlier declared their exercise of priority rights to develop their water resources within their ancestral domain, the Agno River and all its tributaries in barangays Tawangan and Lusod and all hydroelectric power plant projects in the locality are their proposed projects and interested developers or investors they approve can only be accepted as partners.
“We, the indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples of Kabayan already offered our partnership to the Benguet Electric Cooperative, and we already worked and cooperating with the rural electric cooperative for our hydroelectric power plant projects, BENECO, being the franchise holder of power distribution, in the province,” the resolution added.
According to the resolution signed by their duly authorized representatives, the Kabayan indigenous peoples sympathise and support the objection Mangkew, Pacso residents to the proposed tunneling as part of HEDCOR’s proposed hydroelectric power plant project.
As owners of their ancestral domain and all the resources therein, the indigenous peoples asserted their discretion to select the most beneficial and most advantageous arrangement among those offered by developers or investors who enter their ancestral domain.
In their study, these benefits and advantages are lacking in HEDCOR’s power plants they investigated. A feasibility study by BENECO is ongoing on the water resources in the rivers for possible hydroelectric power generation as requested by the indigenous peoples of the remote village of Lusod.
The deal with BENECO includes the possibility of the community forging a joint venture or partnership in the electrification of their community through the construction of its own hydroelectric power plant once the study is completed.
This is to ensure reliable, secure and cheaper power supply for the remote village.
The Kabayan indigenous peoples believe the construction of tunnels will great impact on their environment and conveyance through the tunnel will pose danger to the community because the town is an alleged earthquake prone area.
Further, the IPs expressed fear that the source of water, like springs and rivers, will eventually dry up because the tunnels can suck in the ground and surface waters depriving the people of the use of these waters.
“We consider that HEDCOR presented their mini-hydroelectric power project during their information and education campaign to provide an opportunity for other investors to avoid monopoly of hydroelectric generation,” the resolution added.
The resolution, which was signed by the members of the Council of Elders last November 22, 2016, will be forwarded to the concerned government agencies, the HEDCOR management, and the various local government units for the information of the officials for their action.
By HENT
