"It is simply wrong to subject our people to further danger and loss."
The Province of Quezon takes a firm stand against the construction of the Kaliwa Dam for many reasons. I have been vocal about my reservations on the implementation of the Kaliwa Dam joint project of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and China Energy Engineering Corporation. This P12-billion peso project, which will be funded from Official Development Assistance loans from China, is set to mitigate the water crisis in Metro Manila. While the project’s goal is laudable, I cannot consent to this if it will bring more harm than good, especially in our own backyard.
There have been vehement oppositions to this project from residents of the REINA area (Real, Infanta, and General Nakar) in Quezon, as well as from indigenous groups who have been living in the area for many years, and environmental advocates. There is a legitimate fear about the effects of this project. Recall that in 2004, the massive flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Winnie in the REINA area took more than a thousand lives. Quezonians will not forget that tragedy 16 years ago.
As successive typhoons aggravate this fear of the people living in these areas, we cannot discount the fact that people rely so much on the protection that the mountains of Sierra Madre give against strong winds and heavy rains. Pursuing Kaliwa Dam, given the adverse environmental impact it would cause to Sierra Madre, would take away this blanket of security. Worse, it will submerge communities and hectares of agricultural land which have been the primary source of livelihood by the residents.
More than the environmental, agricultural, and economic damages it would cause, the Kaliwa Dam project takes a wrong turn by seeking funds from ODA loans. We have private entities as competent and as capable of completing dam projects at a lesser cost to the government. At this point where we are in the middle of fiscal deficits, we cannot afford to go deeper into the pit.
Hence, I echo the opposition of the Quezonians to this project. I reiterate my call to the government to seriously reconsider and withdraw the implementation of this project. It would be more prudent to reassess and choose a more viable option that would better augment the supply of potable water to Metro Manila without putting so many lives on the line. Our Sierra Madre which has been a blessing to this country from above must be protected. It is simply wrong to subject our people to further danger and loss in the middle of a pandemic and a state of calamity.