Category: Updates

AN URGENT LETTER TO  PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE WHO IS BEING MANIPULATED BY HIS ADVISERS TO SIGN THE CONTRACT FOR THE KALIWA DAM PROJECT WITH  CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ON NOVEMBER 11, 2018

Dear Mr. President:

If you really care for our country, you will NOT SIGN THE Agreement FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE KALIWA DAM for the following COMPELLING reasons:

1. IT WILL PLACE 100,000 LIVES IN DANGER.

While Manila is now preparing for the Big One earthquake of the Marikina West Valley Fault, the proposed 60-meter Kaliwa Dam will be constructed within a zone of two active tectonics represented by the Philippine Fault Zone and the Valley Fault System. The Agos Dam site is located only 7-8 kilometers from the Philippine Fault Zone (Infanta Fault). In case an active fault is nearby the proposed dam site, two major problems can occur and will greatly affect the design of the proposed structures, namely: 1.) seismicity caused by the earthquakes occurring in active fault zone; and 2.) deformation in dam-foundation caused by the movement of active faults. Most of the proposed dam sites would be subject to high peak acceleration and are exposed to generally high degree of seismicity.

Along the Philippine Fault, there were many large-scale earthquakes that were recorded in the past and the relative movement of 6 cm was observed in the period of 1991 to 1993. It can be said that the Philippine Fault Zone has a potential to cause very high seismic activity, as what have been recorded in the July 18, 1880 earthquake where the old churches of Infanta, Mauban (both in Quezon province) and Manila Cathedral were devastated (Page 3-11 of the The 2003 results of JICA study “The Study on Water Resources Development for Metro Manila in the Republic of the Philippines”). ”Even with its best technology, Japan was caught flat-footed with its 2011 earthquake”.

2. IT VIOLATES THE LAW.

To sign the bilateral loan agreement thru ODA for the Kaliwa Dam Project would essentially violate R.A. 8173 and R.A. 7586. Up until now there is no Free, Prior and Informed Consent ever given by the Dumagat-Remontados for this construction as required by R. A. 8173. Neither has there been an Environmental Compliance Certificate as required by R.A. 7586 and yet your advisers have scheduled the signing on November 11, 2018.

3. IT IS A DEBT TRAP.

By refusing to be transparent on the Kaliwa Dam despite your Freedom of Information E.O. 2, your advisers have effectively prevented a solidly based scientific study of the Dam. For all their rhetoric your advisers are paving the way to a debt trap. They are simply duplicating Sri Lanka’s Hambantota airport and seaport experience during the dictatorship of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Both airport and seaport became liabilities so much so that Sri Lanka had to lease the seaport for 99 years. Malaysia’s newly elected Mahatir has cancelled projects with China to avoid being trapped.

4. IT IS IGNORES THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

The collapse of the dams in Vietnam and in Myanmar a few months ago, the Itogon tragedy, the landslide in Naga City, Cebu and the most recent incident in Natonin, Mountain Province are enough signs that the impact of climate change can no longer be ignored. These should teach the Philippines to listen to the recommendation of the World Commission on Dams not to build big dams anymore.

5. THE PHILIPPINES IS FLOODED WITH RAIN WATER. PROMOTE THE FORESTS, NOT DAM PROJECTS.

The proposed NCWS-Kaliwa Dam Project will inundate 291 hectares of forest from the 9,800-hectare forest in Infanta Kaliwa Watershed, including the sacred site of Dumagat-Remontado in the areas of Tinipak in Brgry. Daraitan, Tanay, Rizal. Kaliwa Dam also plans to get 600 MLD (Million Liters per Day) of water in the Kaliwa river thru embarkment dam of 60 meters high, transported via conveyance tunnel with 4 meters in diameter to Tanay & Antipolo Water Treatment Plants. This will greatly affect irrigation system that sustainably supports Infanta rice granary and it  will dry up aquifers supplying ground-water source for Infanta Quezon Water District (IQWD) servicing its populace.

Construction of Big Dams are not the only answer to the impending water crisis in Metro Manila, there are many other sustainable options. Why not fund the protection and rehabilitation of our degraded watersheds and existing dams, and not the construction of another big dams? It is good news for the environment and can save us from global warming, but bad news for the investors who only want profits at the expense of massive deforestation and community dislocations. The government can also mandate rain water collection modules and water conservation measures, especially for the households and big subdivisions / condominiums, as well as companies, industries, factories and hotel operators within the Metro Manila, instead of spending billions for dams  without the assurance of success.

[button url=”http://bit.ly/notokaliwadam” target=”_blank” color=”green” size=”large” border=”false” icon=”” btn_content=”SIGN THE PETITION HERE”]

Just this August 2018, the Department of Energy released Department Order 2018-08-0012 “directing the Philippine downstream oil industry to offer Euro II-compliant diesel as a fuel option for the transport and industry sector to reduce the impact of rising oil prices in the world market.”

Euro II, a cheaper diesel than what the country is currently using (Euro IV) contains 500 parts per million sulfur. The latter only has 50 parts per million sulfur.

Posing lots of environment and health risks, the department order downplays the Administrative Order 2015-04 co-issued by both the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Energy in 2015 as part of the efforts to better uphold of every Filipino’s right for clean air as per the Clean Air Act of 1999.

Petition for the Recall of Department Order No. 002018-08-0012 of the Department of Energy

We, the undersigned, hereby urge the Department of Energy to recall its above stated order dated August 10, 2018 entitled “DIRECTING THE PHILIPPINE DOWNSTREAM OIL INDUSTRY TO OFFER EURO-II COMPLIANT DIESEL AS FUEL OPTION FOR THE TRANSPORT AND INDUSTRY SECTOR,” based on the following reasons:

1.     The said order, with the question of its publication still hanging, has no basis in law because it has not legally promulgated the invalidation and supersedence of its own published Department Circular No. DC2015-06-0004 on June 8, 2015, which mandated the vending and use of EURO-IV fuels only starting since January 1, 2016;

2.     The said order has no basis in law, directly usurping the authority and power of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources under the Clean Air Act, for reverting to a more pollutive EURO-II diesel when the DENR has already issued Department Administrative Order No. 2015-04 on March 24, 2015, requiring the emission standards of motor vehicles to be compliant with EURO-IV standards as provided for by the Clean Air Act. By virtue of this DAO of the DENR, the DoE was  enjoined and positively responded to issue its published Department Circular No. DC-2015-06-0004;

3.     The said order has no basis in law, directly usurping the authority and power of Congress for undermining and directly amending the very explicit provision of the Clean Air Act that requires the periodic improvement of the emission standards to mitigate the health effects of air pollution;

4.     The said order has no basis in law for failing to consult with all the stakeholders, particularly the public advocates for clean air, notwithstanding that the DoE has already been repeatedly admonished by Congress therefore;

5.     The said order utterly lacks prudence for failing to realize that EURO-II diesel’s 500 ppm sulfur will practically mean more pollutants as opposed to EURO-IV’s 50 ppm sulfur due to the fact that almost all vehicles do not have pollution control devices or catalytic converters that mitigate emission and the required implements that assure efficient combustion of diesel;

6.     The said order sorely lacks prudence for failing to realize most nations of the world are transitioning to higher standards – even EURO V or VI – due to the fact of worsening public health directly caused by vehicle emissions;

7.     The said order miserably lacks prudence and sensitivity for failing to recognize that some members of the European Union will start to ban petrol, particularly diesel, beginning in 2020. This is after the World Health Organization has issued the advisory that diesel fume is a type 1 carcinogen, i.e., human carcinogen; and

The said order obviously lacks prudence and sensitivity for failing to realize that the few-centavo discount of a EURO-II diesel will definitely mean a few hundred-peso (per capita) more public health expenditure because of the aggravated health effects of air pollution by re-introducing a more pollutive, yet slightly cheaper, but outdated and outlawed diesel.

[button url=”https://www.change.org/p/department-of-energy-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-no-to-the-return-of-euro-2-fuel” target=”_blank” color=”green” size=”large” border=”false” icon=”” btn_content=”Sign the Petition Here”]