Gov't urged to stop 'destructive' mega dam projects
MANILA, Philippines — An environmental group called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to halt and review mega dam projects that would destroy rivers and forests and drive indigenous peoples out of their ancestral lands.
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment made the call following the deployment of state forces in the ancestral lands of the Tumandok indigenous communities in Calinog, Iloilo and Tapaz, Capiz.
The group claimed that soldiers are there to “quell the resistance” of the Tumandok indigenous peoples against the Korean-funded Jalaur mega dam project.
“On top of violating indigenous peoples’ rights, these mega dams cause large-scale environmental destruction in the long-run,” said Jon Bonifacio, national coordinator of Kalikasan PNE.
According to the group, mega dams result in the destruction of river ecosystems and the dwindling of underground water resources.
Dams also inundate forests as they destroy homes of indigenous peoples and habitats of threatened and endangered species. Intact and restored forests play a vital role in the fight against climate change by absorbing planet-warming greenhouse gases.
“There are more appropriate and environmentally-sound alternatives to big dams — solar and wind energy, microscale hydropower, water recycling schemes, for example — that can bring the electricity, irrigation, flood control, and water supply for Filipinos,” Bonifacio said.
Communities in Sierra Madre and in the Cordilleras are also opposing the Kaliwa Dam and the Gened Dam projects, respectively.
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Tumandok massacre
Groups such as Kalikasan PNE and Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (Katribu) reported that 300 police and military personnel were deployed in Tumandok communities.
“Civil-military ops like this often lead to human rights violations, intimidation, and disunity in the IP communities,” said Beverly Longid, national convenor of Katribu.
“Their operations are causing alarm and fear for the Tumandok as the trauma done from the [2020] massacre is still fresh,” she added.
On Dec. 30, 2020, nine leaders of the Tumandok community opposed to the construction of the Jalaur mega dam were killed in combined police and military operations, while several other community members were arrested over alleged illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
Members of the indigenous community were red-tagged or labeled as supporters or part of the communist armed struggle.
READ: CHR launches probe into killings of Tumandok leaders in Panay raids
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