By ROD ASURIN
www.nordis.net

TABUK CITY — Six tribes in Kalinga province declared opposition to large dam projects in two of their treasured rivers, the Saltan and Cal-oan (Mabaca) rivers.

Around 200 representatives from the Salegseg, Poswoy, Dao-angan, Ab-aba-an, and Mabaca tribes in Balbalan town and the Limos tribe in Pinukpuk town gathered in Barangay Limos on August 27. Elders and community leaders signed a declaration expressing opposition to the proposed dam projects.

In their declaration, the tribes said the proposed projects threaten their sources of livelihood and are destructive to the environment.

“Mamati kami a dakkel a pangta iti nakaru a didigra ti maipa-ay dagitoy a hydropower a proyekto ti JWPI a maipasdek iti karayan Saltan ken Cal-oan iti daga a nagtaudan, paggapuan iti pangkabiagan, aglawlaw, ken kultura mi nga umili,” the declaration stated.

(We believe that the JWPI hydropower project along Saltan and Cal-oan rivers threatens our ancestral land and culture, sources of livelihood, and the environment.)

The Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the 49-megawatt Saltan D project to Australian-owned JBD Water Power Inc. in 2019 and the 45-megawatt Saltan E in 2021. The company also holds the service contract for the 40-megawatt Mabaca River hydropower project along the Cal-oan rivers. All are still in the pre-development stage.

Saltan D, Saltan E, and the Mabaca hydropower project were among the eight energy projects that the DOE endorsed to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines for a system impact study (SIS) in June. An SIS is an engineering study that evaluates the impact of a proposed interconnection or transmission service request on the safety and reliability of a transmission system.

During consultative assemblies, the tribes said JWPI told them that Saltan D and Saltan E would be as high as 50 meters. The company has yet to disclose complete project designs for their approval.

In the same declaration, the tribes asked the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to respect and recognize their opposition and decision against the said dam projects. They also requested municipal officials of the Balbalan and Pinukpuk, and Kalinga Representative Mangaoang not endorse the projects.

Earlier, the Pinukpuk municipal council passed Resolution No. 22-2022, opposing Saltan E’s construction. The officials said the project would cause physical and material damage to residents, including economic and environmental loss.

The Saltan drains into the Balbalasang-Balbalan National Park, one of the country’s largest protected areas and a sanctuary for many endemic plants and animals.

Cal-oan is also known in the area as the Mabaca River after the Mabaca Tribe that owns the waterway.

As of December 31, 2021, there are 15 awarded hydropower projects in the province of Kalinga. #