LUCENA CITY, Philippines—A ritual set off a 148-kilometer, nine-day march that will take Sierra Madre tribesmen to Malacañang to protest plans to build a dam that would wipe out their mountain community.

“We will walk even under the scorching heat of the sun and strong rain,” said Nap Buendicho, Agta “governor” and spokesperson of the protesters.

Before marching, the tribesmen sacrificed a chicken at a church yard in General Nakar town in, Quezon, leaving the fowl’s heart and liver behind to symbolize affinity with Mother Nature, according to Buendicho.

It was an offering to their god, Makidipet.

The Agta-Dumagat tribe has the largest population among indigenous peoples in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

Young and old members of the tribe joined the march, the eldest being a 68-year-old retired female teacher and the youngest, an 8-year-old girl.

They reached Infanta town at around 10 a.m. and proceeded to Real town where they would spend the night.
Infanta Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona said the Church was solidly behind the tribesmen.

“The national government should heed the collective call of the people who are fighting not only for their own survival but also for the next generation’s,” the bishop said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

The Laiban Dam is a joint-venture project of San Miguel Corp. and the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System. It is designed to divert water from two river systems in the Sierra Madre—Kaliwa and Kanan—to supply potable water to Metro Manila.

The site of the dam lies near the active Marikina-Infanta fault line.

“I call on our national and local officials to join our people to stop this Damocles sword hanging over their future,” said Bishop Tirona.

General Nakar Mayor Levigildo Rozul said the municipal council had adopted a resolution opposing the project.

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

The marchers’ next stops are the towns of Famy and Siniloan in Laguna and Tanay in Rizal. They are expected to arrive in Manila and proceed to Malacañang on Nov. 10. Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon