NIA abides by writ of kalikasan vs megadam

ILOILO CITY—The National Irrigation Agency (NIA) will abide by the writ of kalikasan issued by the Supreme Court against a megadam project in Iloilo but has defended the environmental and structural safety of the project.

NIA regional manager Gerardo Corsiga said the agency’s legal department would respond to the order issued by the high court against the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project II (JRMP II).

“We hope the issues will be settled because we’re only awaiting a notice-to-proceed order for the detailed engineering design and plan phase,” Corsiga, also the JRMP II project manager, told the Inquirer.

The high court issued the writ of kalikasan on Oct. 31, directing the respondents, including the NIA, represented by its chief Claro Maranan, to respond within 10 days of receipt of the order.

Also named respondents were Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, Environmental Management Bureau regional director Jonathan Bulos, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Senate President Franklin Drilon, a main proponent of the project.

The writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy for parties who believe their “constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology is violated or threatened with a violation” and to stop an environmentally destructive act or actions.

The writ was prompted by a petition filed by former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco Jr., who claimed that the project would displace thousands of indigenous people and pose “horrendous and inconceivable peril,” including the risks of flooding and habitat destruction.

The project, set to be completed by 2016, involves the construction of three dams (Jalaur reservoir, afterbay and catch dams), a

6.6-megawatt hydropower plant and an 81-kilometer highline canal. It is aimed at developing irrigation systems, generating hydroelectric power and providing domestic and industrial water supply.

It is funded by a $203-million official development assistance by the South Korean government through its Export-Import Bank’s Economic Cooperation Fund, with a counterpart fund from the Philippine government amounting to P2.2 billion.

Corsiga said safety and environmental considerations and addressing the impact on the indigenous peoples were foremost in the implementation of the project.

NIA has awarded the consultancy contract to Korean consortium Dasan Consultants, which will undertake the detailed engineering and design phase of the project.

A team of 15-20 Korean consultants is expected to arrive this month to conduct the detailed engineering design and plan.

Corsiga said simulation exercises on a model of the dam would be conducted after the completion of the engineering design and plan.

The simulation would include subjecting the dam model to earthquake scenarios and a surge of water supply from increased rainfall.

“We are following all processes and requirements to ensure the safety of the project,” Corsiga said.

The nongovernment organization Dagsaw (Panay-Guimaras Indigenous People’s Network), one of the groups opposing the project, had welcomed the Supreme Court order but appealed to the high court to issue a temporary environmental protection order, which would stop the project until the court resolved the main issues raised against the JRMP II.

But Dagsaw executive director Cynthia Deduro said continued public vigilance would be necessary.

“It is important for the people who will be at risk with the project to show their opposition,” Deduro said.