LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines—A sacred ritual performed by indigenous tribesmen from Sierra Madre, on Wednesday morning, kicked off the 148-kilometer protest march from General Nakar, Quezon, to Manila, against the controversial Laiban dam project.

Some 123 marchers from various groups in Quezon are expected to arrive in Manila by November 9, according to organizers.

“With the blessing and guidance of our God, Makidipet, and the righteousness of our cause, we will walk even under the scorching heat of the sun and strong rains just to be able to convince our government officials not to pursue the construction of the Laiban dam,” Nap Buendicho, Agta tribal governor and spokesman of the marchers, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Filipino in a phone interview Wednesday morning.

The march started at the patio of Saint Anne and Joaquin parish in Genenal Nakar at 7 a.m. after the 123 marchers – most of them indigenous people from Quezon and Rizal – witnessed the ritual performed by a tribal elder.

A chicken was killed, and its heart and liver were left at the Church patio, symbolizing the affinity of the indigenous folk to Mother Nature, Buendicho explained.

“The ritual is also our way of seeking the blessing and guidance of Makidipet to help us win this peaceful battle against the dam that will not only endanger our lives and existence but also destroy the sanctity of Sierra Madre,” he said.

The Agta/Dumagat tribe is the largest population of indigenous people in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

The marchers—the eldest is a 68-year-ol old retired teacher and the youngest an eight-year-old girl—reached the neighboring town of Infanta at around 10 a.m. where a send-off program led by local officials was held at the town covered court.

The marchers are set to spend the first night of their scheduled protest hike in Real town.

“The Prelature of Infanta is in steadfast solidarity with the marchers in their quest to stop the mammoth and destructive Laiban dam project. The national government should heed the collective call of the people who are fighting not only for their own survival but also of the next generation,” Infanta Bishop RolandoTriaTirona said over the phone in an interview Tuesday.

The bishop said the mishandling of the water release from the San Roque dam in Pangasinan, which led to massive flooding in northern and Central Luzon at the height of typhoon Pepeng, was one of the reasons why government should review the Laiban dam project.

The dam project, a joint-venture between San Miguel Corp. and the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System, is designed to divert water from the Kaliwa and Kanan rivers in the Sierra Madre and augment the water supply in Metro Manila.

The target site of the dam project lies near the active Marikina-Infanta earthquake fault, according to groups opposed to the project.

Tirona said the Laiban dam could lead to the massive destruction of the Sierra Madre ecosystem.

“I call on our national and Quezon officials to join our people in stopping this Damocles sword hanging over their future,” he said.

General Nakar Mayor Levigildo Rozul said the local government has passed a resolution declaring their opposition to the dam project.

“The proponent has not even informed us about the project,” he said in a phone interview.

Meanwhile, businessman Roy Zosa, president of Sierra Madre Water Corp. (SMWC) has proposed an alternative to the controversial dam project.

Zosa said his company, which he claimed has been in the water business for the past 16 years, could augment Metro Manila’ water supply with that from sources in Laguna and Quezon.

“Our system can be fully operational in 24 months. We’re not going to build a mammoth dam. Besides, our water is cheap and eco-friendly,” Zosa said over the phone.

He said the SMWC alternative could supply up to 2 billion liters per day compared to Laiban’s 1.9 billion liters per day.

The MWSS estimated that by 2015, Metro Manila would face a water shortage of 1.6 billion liters per day. The Laiban Dam is targeted to produce about 1.9 billion liters per day.

Buendicho said they would form a delegation to talk with the management of the San Miguel Bulk Water Corporation, a subsidiary of the giant conglomerate San Miguel Corporation, to convince the latter to abandon the proposed P50-billion dam project in Tanay.

The marchers will also proceed to Malacañang to seek audience with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to convince her to scrap the dam project.