BOKOD, Benguet — Local officials in Barangay Ambuklao sent formal appeals to the national government in August 2026, requesting urgent intervention to address severe siltation along the Upper Agno River and demanding prioritized electricity services for their community.

In separate letters addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, barangay chairperson Reynaldo B. Tello outlined how decades of sediment, gravel and silt accumulation upstream of the Ambuklao and Binga dams have raised the riverbed, drastically reducing its water capacity.

Tello warned that existing flood protection structures are nearing their maximum design heights, increasing the risk of river overflows during heavy rains and typhoons.

The continuous siltation threatens nearby homes, agricultural lands, public infrastructure and power facilities.

The village leader stressed the historical sacrifices of the local Ibaloi indigenous community, whose members gave up their ancestral lands in the 1950s to accommodate the construction of the Ambuklao Dam. Aldwin Quitasol

Despite assurances given during their original displacement, many families resettled along the riverbanks, where they continue to face environmental hazards created by the hydroelectric reservoirs.

The barangay also urged national agencies to conduct a comprehensive technical assessment of the river system. Their requests include riverbed dredging and desilting operations, the construction and repair of flood control barriers, and the development of a long-term river management plan.