Subject: [cwj 122] Cordillera: JBIC should stop funding San =?iso-8859-1?Q?Roqu=E9?= Dam Project
From: Corporate Watch in Japanese <cwj@corpwatch.org>
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 13:31:37 -0700
Seq: 122

CPA letter to JBIC=20
September 15,2000=20

Mr. YASUDA Hiroshi
Governor
Japanese Bank for International Cooperation
4-1, OHTEMACHI 1-CHOME
CHIYODA-KU. TOKYO 100-8144,
JAPAN=20

Dear Mr. YASUDA Hiroshi=20

Greetings from CPA!=20

This is to inform you that the Municipal Council of Itogon has approved the
resolution to withdraw their endorsement of the San
Roque Dam Project, during their official session in September 13,2000. The
main reason given by the Council for this decision is the
unsubtantive compliance of the 17 conditions set by the Council as part of
their endorsement to the San Roque Dam Project, known as
resolution 109. The written resolution will be signed by the Council
members after the minutes of the their meeting is put into writing.
We will send to you a copy of the resolution as soon as possible. We have
documented the deliberations of the Council on video.=20

With this development, the San Roqu=E9 Dam Project now lacks the legal
requirement for its continuing implementation, as defined by
the Local Government Code. Likewise, there is also no informed and prior
consent of dam-affected communities of Itogon, Benguet,
as a requirement of the Indigenous Peoples Right Act. Thus, the continuing
construction of the San Roque Dam is already contrary to
existing Philippine laws. Likewise, JBIC also made it as part of its
conditions for further disbursements of loans the satisfactory
implementation of the 17 conditions set by the Council. This is again a not
complied with by NPC and other concerned government
unit as attested by the withdrawal of endorsement to the San Roque Dam
Project by the Municipal Council of Itogon. As one of the
Councilors stated during their deliberations for the withdrawal of
endorsement," It is now clear that the aspiration of the peoples of
Itogon looking forward to the commitments made by concerned agencies are
all exercise in futility, and the blatant disregard of the
commitments shows that the agencies concerned are devoid of mercy and=
 heart".=20

With this development, dam proponents already lose their legal grounds to
still continue with the dam construction. In this regard, we
urge JBIC to withhold further disbursements to the San Roque Dam and
seriously review the conditions set by JBIC for their financial
support to the project. In the light of serious violations to these
conditions, we appeal to JBIC to also seriously consider the
cancellation of their loan to San Roque Dam. We firmly believe that there
are serious violations to the conditions that justify the
cancellation of the loan to the San Roque dam. We further believe that JBIC
owes this to the dam-affected families who were made to
sacrifice for this project but are shortchanged as their life has even
worsened.=20

We hope our pleadings to you will be addressed. Thanks for your attention
and we look forward to your response.=20

Sincerely,=20

Ms. Joan Carling
Secretary General


CPA WELCOMES WITHDRAWAL OF ENDORSEMENT OF THE
SAN ROQUE DAM PROJECT BY THE MUNICPAL COUNCIL OF
ITOGON=20

=20

The Cordillera Peoples' Alliance welcomes the decision of the municipal
council of Itogon, Benguet withdrawing its endorsement of
the San Roque Dam project. In a session held last September 13, 2000, the
council approved a resolution withdrawing its earlier
endorsement of the dam project for unsubstantive compliance and
non-implementation of the 17 conditions set by the council in July
1997 in exchange for endorsing the San Roque Dam Project.=20

The CPA believes that the municipal council's decision is highly
commendable as it reflects the persistent opposition of the
dam-affected communities as well as concerned citizens of Itogon and their
supporters. The Shalupirip Santahnay Indigenous Peoples
Movement (SSIPM) and the Itogon Inter-Barangay Alliance (IIB-A), together
with CPA submitted petition letters, held pickets and
attended en masse the deliberation of the Council on the San Roque Dam
Project.=20

It is indeed a well-deserved victory for the people of Itogon that their
government officials finally heeded their demand to withdraw
their support the project. It is also an affirmation of the earlier
assessement made by SSIPM, IIB-A and CPA regarding the
non-implementaion of the 17 conditions, as well as their long-held position
that the adverse impacts of San Roque Dam can never be
mitigated as claimed by its proponents.=20

With this development, the San Roque Dam Project now lacks the legal
requirement for its implementation, as defined by the Local
Government Code. This law specifically requires the official endorsement by
local government units of development projects in their
area of responsibility. The continuing construction of the San Roque dam
now becomes highly questionnable, and can already be
legally challenged. The project also lacks the informed and prior consent
of the affected communities.=20

However, there are desperate and sinister attempts by government agencies
and the NPC to subvert this requirement by coming out
with deceptive packages of compensation for the affected people to accept
the project. It should be recalled though that NPC has not
fulfilled its promises to displaced families in Pangasinan and to those
earlier displaced from the construction of the Binga and
Ambuklao dams.=20

It is now the turn of the National Power Corporation (NPC), the San Roque
Power Corporation (SRPC), the Japanese Banks for
International Cooperation( JBIC) and President Estrada to listen to the
demand of dam affected communities to stop the project and to
duly compensate those whose lives were adversely affected by the on-going
construction of the dam. The dam proponents have
already lost their legal ground to still insist on the implementation of
this anti-environment and anti-people project. It is high time for
them to abandon the project and rehabilitate the damage and destruction
they have caused so far.=20

The campaign against the San Roque dam is now on a higher legal and moral
grounds to further push for the cancellation of the loan
being extended by JBIC to the project, so the construction of San Roque Dam
can finally be stopped.=20

"With this recent victory of dam-affected people and concerned residents of
Itogon, we shall continue to advance our campaign, and
there is no stopping us to stop the San Roque Dam!", the CPA claims.=20

Joan Carling
Cordillera Peoples Alliance
Baguio City
Sept. 15, 2000

-------------------------------------
Corporate Watch in Japanese
Transnational Resource and Action Center (TRAC)
P.O. Box 29344
San Francisco, CA 94129 USA
Tel: 1-415-561-6472
Fax: 1-415-561-6493
Email: cwj@corpwatch.org
URL:  http://www.corpwatch-jp.org
-------------------------------------
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