CON: KALIWA DAM PROJECT

Three Major Points:

1. Impacts on biodiversity. The lives of the people and animals inhabiting near Kaliwa River
will be affected. Since the water level will rise, the communities of indigenous people and
natural habitats of diverse species will be flooded out.
a. Relocation is a huge concern. People residing within the natural depression zone
that would be flooded out, should move out. Hence, they lose their sources of living
like fishing and farming. This happens to be an ethical concern.
b. The ancestral domains of the Dumagat/Remontado include areas within the Kaliwa
River Basin where the dam will be constructed. Sacred sites as well as burial
grounds will be submerged by its reservoir. The government cannot begin
construction without the free prior and informed consent (FPIC) of the local
community, one of the documents required for the project to push through in
accordance with Section 7c, Chapter III of The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of
1997 or Republic Act 8371.
c. The dam will be constructed within a forest reserve declared under Proclamation
No. 573 on June 22, 1968. Under Presidential Proclamation No. 1636 issued on
April 18, 1977, a portion of the watershed was also declared a national park and
wildlife sanctuary.
The forests and coastline of PP 1636 are a key habitat to 15 species of amphibians,
334 bird species, 1,476 fish species, 963 invertebrate species, 81 mammal
species, 50 plant species and 60 reptile species. Building a megadam in the area
will cause irreparable damage to the surrounding ecosystem and devastate animal
and plant life.

2. Risk for disaster and environmental hazards. The location where the proposed Kaliwa
Dam project is prone to earthquakes due to the two nearby active fault lines namely
Philippine Fault Zone and the Valley Fault System. It is also prone to environmental
hazards. Thus, it can put people’s lives at risk.
a. Many large-scale earthquakes were recorded in the past in this area, and the
relative movement of 6 centimeters was observed in 1991-1993 along the
Philippine fault line.
b. The Philippine fault zone has a potential to cause very high seismic activity, as
what was recorded in the earthquake of July 18, 1880, when the old churches of
Infanta, Mauban (both in Quezon province) and Manila Cathedral were devastated.
c. Another example, China’s Three Gorges Dam was built in an area with seismic
activity, and small cracks have been found in the infrastructure. A dam collapse or
break would be an absolute catastrophe.
d. Also, when natural disasters like typhoons occur, since the Philippines is prone to
tropical cyclones and storms due to its geographical location along the Pacific
region near the Equator, the dam can be pushed to its limit by massive floodwaters.

3. Philippines’ massive loan to China. The enormous cost of P12.2 Billion made the
Philippines in debt to China which binds the country to a heavy obligation and agreement
that may lead to potential seizure of assets and natural resources by China.
 a. The MWSS officially signed a loan agreement financed by the Export-Import Bank
of China to fund the construction of the Kaliwa Dam portion of the New Centennial
Water Source Project (NCWSP). The NCWSP is a system of two dams (Kaliwa
Dam and Laiban Dam) which aims to meet the increasing demand for water in
Metro Manila. Amounting to USD 211 million, with an interest rate of 2%, a
management fee of 0.3%, and a commitment fee of 0.3% per annum, the loan will
cover 85% of Kaliwa Dam’s total construction cost.
b. The official development assistance loan from China, through the Export-Import
Bank of China, will add to the country’s ballooning debt, which is expected to hit
an all-time high of P8 trillion this year.
Is Kaliwa Dam the only way to address the water shortage problem in Metro Manila despite its
harmful effects on people and nature? There are alternative solutions such as recycling water
which could lessen the effects of water shortage. Also, since the Philippines has abundant water
resources, it could be converted into potable and drinking water with the use of technology. If the
budget allotted to the Kaliwa Dam project is used on developing technologies on water treatment,
then the problem of water shortage could be addressed without many lives being affected.