OK to release Kaliwa Dam docs if covered by FOI, Palace says

Malacañang is open to making public the documents concerning the China-funded Kaliwa Dam project if it is not restricted by Freedom of Information (FOI) rules.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea made the statement after lawyer and opposition senatorial candidate Chel Diokno, along with other groups, sent letters to Medialdea and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., requesting official documents on the project, invoking the FOI.

Diokno said the request for the official documents was meant to check if there were “onerous provisions” in the agreement with China.

In a text message, Medialdea said the government would release such documents if they would conform with existing FOI rules.

“This administration early on has made it clear that it will be transparent,” Medialdea stressed.

“We will abide by the FOI rules in place. I don’t think it is a matter of discretion if the document is covered by the FOI and the procedure is followed,” he added.

The Kaliwa Dam project in Tanay, Rizal is facing opposition from environmental groups and local officials, saying it would displace Indigenous Peoples and will have an adverse effect on the environment.

The project, funded through a loan from China, will cost $248 million or R12.2 billion to complete.