The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has put on hold the issuance of an Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the construction of the controversial Kaliwa Dam project in Quezon province.
This was disclosed today by DENR Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo Jr. during a public hearing on the proposed 2023 P23 billion budget of DENR chaired by Senator Cynthia A. Villar when Senator Raffy Tulfo expressed opposition to the project.
Adobo said issuance of the ECC on the project was put on hold because its zoning in the protected areas has not yet been done.
He also said the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) have not given their Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) - a requirement under the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997 - which recognizes the IPs' rights to their ancestral lands.
FPIC is also a prerequisite for the issuance of a Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas from the environment department.
Tulfo said several sectors are opposing there Kaliwa dam project because of its environmental impact and the ill-effects on the lives and livelihood of indigenous peoples (IPs) living in the area.
New Centennial Water Source – Kaliwa Dam Project is aimed at meeting increasing water demand by constructing a dam for Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) service area’s domestic water supply.
It is located in Quezon province with projected tunnel traversing to Teresa, Rizal.
Tulfo said “it’s music to my ears” that the project would not push through as he believed that Sierra Madre mountains should be protected, along with the lives and livelihood of IPs in the area.