SABLAN, Benguet – The municipal government denied having issued a certificate of ‘no objection’ to a renewable energy corporation for the proposed waste to energy project to be built within a private property in the municipality.
Mayor Alfredo Dacumos, Jr. said that what was issued by the municipal government was a certification for the company to conduct the requisite feasibility study to ascertain the viability of the proposed waste to energy project which is not equivalent to a certificate of ‘no objection’ as earlier being alleged by concerned residents.
He pointed out that the issuance of the certification to allow the renewable energy company to conduct a feasibility study was anchored on an earlier resolution passed by the municipal council that authorized the local chief executive to issue such a certificate without prejudice to the conduct of a series of public consultations.
Mayor Dacumos underscored that the decision on whether or not to allow the put up of the waste to energy project will still be with the people as the proposed project will have to pass through the required free and prior informed consent (RPIC) process pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA).
According to him, the municipal government will not simply allow project proponents to force the issue against the will of the people because their rights as owners of the ancestral domain of Sablan should be respected and that whatever the decision of the indigenous peoples should always prevail over other interests of the proponents and other local governments.
Under the law, companies intending to put up development projects or those seeking to explore, develop and utilize the rich resources within the ancestral domain of indigenous peoples must first secure the free and prior informed consent of the affected indigenous peoples through a process enshrined under the guidelines crafted by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
The mayor explained that if the people are not in favor of the project, then this should be respected not only by the proponents but also other officials of neighboring local governments to avoid more complicated problems that may arise once the issue will be forced on them.
He admitted that the proposed waste to energy project will have to pass through tedious processes that may run through many years aside from the conduct of the project feasibility study that is why there are no efforts to railroad this because it will be in gross violation of existing laws, rules and regulations governing the prescribed processes for such environmentally critical endeavors being undertaken within the ancestral domain of indigenous peoples.
Moreover, he stipulated that there are also environment watchdogs who are closely observing the developments with regards to the proposed waste to energy project as this facility is reportedly similar to incineration that is not environmentally-friendly, thus why local officials are also acting with caution to ensure that there will be no questions that will crop up in the future.
Another issue that needs to be addressed is the alleged massive displacement of indigenous peoples from their settlements once the waste to energy project will push through in the municipality. By Dexter A. See
