Construction of bridge won’t displace Agta tribesmen, says DAR

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agrarian Reform assured the Agta tribe of Quezon province on Friday that no member of the indigenous community would be displaced by the construction of the P468-million Umiray Bridge between Quezon and Aurora provinces.

The DAR also allayed fears expressed by a tribe leader that the project would hasten the destruction of the Sierra Madre mountain range, saying an environmental conservation program was incorporated in the terms, including the planting of trees and production of quality seedlings for the forested area.

Agrarian Reform Undersecretary Jerry Pacturan said in a statement that the 358-meter Umiray Bridge project was located in a titled private property in the area.

Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the bridge is to link two villages named Barangay Umiray in General Nakar in Quezon and Dingalan in Aurora. Both are named after the Umiray River that separates them.

“Reports from the DAR field office in Quezon province and consultations with the National Commission on Indigenous People indicate that there is no indigenous community that will be displaced in the project site,” Pacturan said.

He noted that an indigenous community in Barangay Mantawe, Dingalan, Aurora, near the project site consisted of Dumagat tribe members who were beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

This piece of land used to be a private agricultural land covered and distributed by the department in early 2000.

Members of the Dumagat tribe, Pacturan noted, were present during consultations with stakeholders held from 2003 to 2012 and during the ground-breaking and launching of programs in Umiray on Jan. 23.

Even so, Pacturan said, the DAR was ready to talk with other tribal communities located within the Sierra Madre mountain range to address their own concerns about the environmental impact of the Umiray bridge project.

“Upon the instructions of Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio De Los Reyes, I have directed the DAR Provincial Office in Quezon to reach out to other indigenous communities in Sierra Madre, particularly the Agta tribe, to address their concerns on forest protection,” Pacturan said.

“The DAR will abide by any existing rules and secure any consents necessary to be able to proceed with the project,” he added.

Philippine and Japanese officials broke ground last week to mark the start of the construction of the Umiray Bridge, which would connect not only Aurora and Quezon but also Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).

Pacturan said the bridge would allow farmers and traders on both sides of the Umiray River to transport their goods with ease, spurring rural development, easing poverty and ensuring food security.

Residents of the two Umiray villages spend a considerable sum on moving goods across the river. Hauling costs them P50 to P70 and transport by boat costs them P20. But once the bridge is finished by June 2014, the cost will be reduced to P15, Pacturan said.