Sipocot local government rejects billion-peso dam project

SIPOCOT, Camarines Sur (Oct. 16, 2011) – The Mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan members  of this town stand as one in firm opposition to the resumption of the construction of a  dam that was started and later shelved during the term of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has proposed a new design of the proposed dam in the hope of gaining public acceptance of the project that shall be located in barangay Malaguico in this municipality.

In a position paper , Sipocot Mayor Rogener “Ogie” Astor and company reiterated their opposiotion to the contruction of the dam, citing risk to 20,000 residents in 6 villages including the town’s commercial district – same areas that were submerged by the worst flood in Bicol history when the Bicol river overflowed several meters high when Typhoon “Rosing”  hit Bicol in 1995.

Very recently, flash flood in the town center also occurred when Typhoon “Juaning” came  in August 2011. Sipocot’s commercial district is located 14 meters above sea level.

Sipocot Vice-Mayor Elizabeth Abergos assailed NIA for holding the consultations in Libmanan town, which would have benefited directly from the project at no environmental cost. The town of Sipocot will bear the brunt of the environmental damage but will only be peripheral beneficiary  if the dam were to become operational, Abergos said.

NIA officials, however, called  Libaman a neutral ground for a consultative meeting, aware that the dam project is encountering stiff opposition in Sipocot.

This weekend’s meeting was held at the Libmanan Parish Church in the absence of Sipocot officials.

Abargos  insists that if NIA likes to have a meaningful  public consultation, it should me done in Sipocot.

Mayor Astor also commented, “as long as NIA fails to convince local residents on the safety of the dam project , locals will continue to oppose it.”  

NIA regional spokesman, Ed Yu, said that the result of the consultations will be endorsed by NIA to the Regional Development Council (RDC), which he hopes shall make a favorable endorsement to the  National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) –Investment Coordinating Council (ICC) for probable funding.

The dam project shall still cost P 1.4 Billion pesos until completion.

Due to earlier negative assessment of the dam project that led to an earlier suspension order by the RDC in February 2010, NIA planners at the central office scaled down the height of the dam structure from 11.3 meters to 8.5 meters, Yu said.

Yu also dismissed fears by Sipocot residents that the dam will worsen flooding in the locality, explaining that the dam shall be constructed at an elevation 8.5 meters, way below the town’s  elevation of 21.

In NIA’s projection,  the Malaguico dam shall irrigate 4, 000 hectares of ricelands in Libmanan and Cabusao towns benefiting 3, 000 rice-farming families, at the same time lessening the fuel cost of pumping operations to irrigate what is considered the rice granary of Bicol.

However, the Sipocot Sangguniang Bayan Resolution No. 389, 2011, recently sent to the RDC, the dam in Malaguico shall be constructed on porous ground, proven by experts in the case of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) railroad tracks in the area that easily become impassable during heavy rains because of the softening of the ground foundation.

The MGB – DENR has also confirmed and certified the existence of a fault line in the vicinity of Sipocot-Cabusao that caused a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in December 1993, fueling the fear that a dam in the area can be damaged by earthquakes with catastrophic result.

According to Sipocot officials Malaguico area is a combination of unstable and sinking ground that is unsuited for the construction of a dam.

Acccording to NEDA sources, despite the oppositions, NIA is set to present anew the the dam  project to the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the RDC on October 27, and to the RDC on November 25, this year. (SONNY SALES)