Twenty damns for the twenty dams
By Ciamy Mamuri | April 16, 2024
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), consisting of six provinces, namely Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province, is known for its mountainous topography, abundant biodiversity, and exquisite landscapes. Coined as the “Watershed Cradle of North Luzon,” it hosts 13 river systems that continuously provide the water source for irrigation and energy to its inhabitants. Being home to these advantageous rivers, it has long been utilized and targeted for the creation of hydroelectric power projects for renewable energy resources.
Since the passing of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, the Cordillera’s People Alliance (CPA) has asserted since then, “more and more private firms have been investing in more and more hydroelectric power projects of varying capacity” in the region. Subsequently, the number of projects granted by the Department of Energy for development on these rivers grew from about thirty to now about a hundred, not even including the other proposed projects on wind and geothermal. According to the CPA, if these projects are permitted, more than twenty dams will rise on the rivers.
But then, one may ask, now what? What will happen if a hundred renewable energy projects are to be built on the Cordillera’s lands? One may even argue that these projects are “at least” good for the development of the country. A different perspective might suggest that it is only at the very very least.
Beyond Surface-Level
The British Dam Society enumerated on their website several negative effects that dams could have on people and the environment. These are the displacement of communities, flooding, sediment build up, deterioration of water quality and loss of cultural and historical heritage. These effects may result in the killing of nature reserves such as animals, plants, trees, and farming lands, as well as affecting the natural balance of the river downstream. In addition, a study published in BioScience showed that hydroelectric dams emit a concerning amount of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
More than being a home to these valuable rivers, the Cordillera is also a home to various indigenous cultural communities that live in the villages along the rivers. The Cordillerans consider these rivers the “river of life,” on which they have depended on for centuries. In an article written by journalist Karlston Lapniten, Michael Sugguiyao from Kalinga said that ever since, indigenous peoples have continued to maintain the practice of protecting their forests and rivers as they sustain their communities with food and livelihood.
Now, these hydropower projects entail more than just development; they can be a reason for further destruction. They will compromise not only the ecological balance of our environment but also the homes and livelihoods of our own people. The people who have been there from the very start. The people who are working blood, sweat, and tears just to protect these pristine lands.
It is also crucially worth noting that some of these energy projects are owned, powered, and controlled by the country’s wealthiest families. Wealthy people including the Sy family, the Lopez family, and Ramon Ang’s San Miguel Corporation who will seem to just get wealthier through these projects.
In the Name of Development
If these hydropower projects are allowed to be built in the Cordillera’s rivers and the “river of life” of our indigenous people, it will not only worsen the climate crisis we are now experiencing but also sacrifice the lives of our Cordilleran communities.
Will we continue to give control and possession of these lands and rivers to the wealthy people who are undoubtedly mostly or even only concerned with the wealth that they will continue to generate? If we let them do so, we will only extract the powers that our indigenous communities hold to further multiply the unwavering mighty powers of all those above us.
The true development of our country should not lie at the expense of our own communities and our own people. By disturbing and destroying these native lands and rivers, we eliminate the Cordillerans’ right to ancestral domain and self-determination. It will take not only their rights, livelihoods, and homes but also the culture they have been protecting for ages.
Together, “Situtured nga iyabante ti pannakidangadang para iti daga, dayaw, ken biag!” (Courageously advance the struggle for land, life, and honor!) for this year’s 40th People’s Cordillera Day.
To know more about the updates on the energy projects in the Cordillera, read the Cordillera Peoples Alliance’s full issue brief: https://tinyurl.com/EnergyUpdatesCD40
