Kalinga group forwards petition vs 52-MW hydropower project

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — Advocacy group SAVE Kalinga Inc. has endorsed to government agencies a community resolution opposing the planned 52-megawatt Chico River, or Karayan, Hydropower Project.

The resolution, passed by tribal elders, leaders and residents of Barangay Bagumbayan in Tabuk City, was forwarded to the Department of Energy (DOE), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and Kalinga Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

SAVE Kalinga urged regulatory authorities to revoke, recall and nullify all certification preconditions, permits and clearances issued for the project.

The group cited alleged procedural deficiencies, the lack of genuine Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) among affected sub-tribes and what it described as a failure to heed long-standing community opposition to the project.

It also called for the suspension or denial of pending and future project approvals, including environmental compliance certificates, water rights and building permits, as well as preliminary site work, until legal and community concerns are resolved.

The group and local residents said the ancestral domains, cultural heritage and agricultural livelihoods of the Naneng, Dallac and Minanga sub-tribes along the Chico River basin must be protected in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.

SAVE Kalinga and Barangay Bagumbayan residents also called for transparency, accountability and adherence to the law in pursuing energy development projects.

They maintained that projects affecting ancestral lands must respect Indigenous peoples’ rights and address the concerns of affected communities before further activities are allowed to proceed.