KABAYAN, Benguet—Indigenous peoples in the 13 barangays of this town voted to reject the proposal of the Aboitiz-owned Hydroelectric Development Corp. to put up a 20-megawatt hydropower plant along the upper portion of the Agno River.
In rejecting the proposal, 62 members of the Council of Elders voted against it, 58 voted in favor and eight abstained.
“The consensus of the indigenous peoples and Council of Elders is to reject the proposed 20-megawatt hydroelectric project of HEDCOR Benguet Inc. from Amlimay, Buguias to Pacso, Kabayan,” the Kabayan Indigenous Peoples Organization stated in its resolution.
Their opposition was due “to the serious potential negative impact of the company’s tunneling project” on the abundant water supply of the Agno system that sustains their agricultural production in farms along the stretch of the river.
HEDCOR owns a pre-development service contract for the 20-MW hydropower plant in Pacso, Kabayan as well as a 45-megawatt plant along the Nalatang River and another 27-megawatt plant in nearby Bokod town.
Under Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), companies intending to develop, exploit and utilize the rich resources of the State must first secure the free and prior informed consent of the indigenous peoples to be affected by the project before implementing any activities within their ancestral domains.
The Kabayan IPs claim they had earlier declared their exercise of priority rights to develop their water resources within their ancestral domain, the Agno River and all its tributaries in barangays Tawangan and Lusod, and all hydroelectric power plant projects in the locality are their proposed projects. Interested developers or investors they approve can only be accepted as partners.
“We, the indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples of Kabayan already offered our partnership to the Benguet Electric Cooperative, and we already worked and cooperating with the rural electric cooperative for our hydroelectric power plant projects, BENECO, being the franchise holder of power distribution, in the province,” the resolution added.
According to the resolution, the Kabayan indigenous peoples sympathize and support the objection of Mangkew, Pacso residents to the proposed tunneling as part of Hedcor’s project.
The deal with Beneco includes the possibility of the community forging a joint venture or partnership in the electrification of Kabayan through the construction of its own hydroelectric power plant once the study is completed.
This is to ensure reliable, secure and cheaper power supply for the remote village, the group said.
The resolution, which was signed by the members of the Council of Elders last November 22, will be forwarded to the concerned government agencies, Hedcor management, and the various local government units for the information and action of their officials.
