Angat project proponents hurdle FPIC requirement
SMC GLOBAL Power Holdings Corp. and its Korean partner in the Angat dam and dykes strengthening plan have signed an agreement with indigenous peoples affected by the initiative, paving the way for the project to start construction, a government agency said on Thursday.
On its Web site, the National Power Corp. (Napocor) said it had signed a memorandum of agreement with the Dumagat tribe of Angat and project proponent Angat Hydropower Corp. (AHC), the joint venture between the San Miguel Corp. unit and Korea Water Resources Corp.
The other signatories are Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Corp. (PSALM) and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples ( NCIP). The Dumagat community was represented by its tribal governor and vicegovernor.
SMC Global did not immediately respond to a request for details on the agreement, but Napocor said the signing covered the full implementation of the free and prior informed consent ( FPIC), which is required by NCIP, the state agency responsible for protecting the rights of indigenous peoples.
Napocor said the signing of this agreement “is a process required before the start of the construction” of the Angat project, which it said was scheduled in September this year by AHC.
The government agency also quoted AHC as saying that the company had obtained an environmental clearance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in June and completed all the preconstruction works in July.
Napocor said the agreement calls for the relocation of 15 Dumagat families and provision of their houses.
It also said it would provide livelihood programs for the community, along with AHC and PSALM. The signed deal is required under Republic Act No. 8371 or The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.
The project will involve the fortification of the multi-purpose hydro facility, which supplies an estimated 97% of Metro Manila’s raw water requirement.
Run by the SMC unit, the facility generates around 246 megawatts of electricity for the Luzon grid.
SMC previously said that the project had been reviewed and accepted by government stakeholders. It cited a study that found Angat dam safe in case of extreme flooding as long as its three spillway gates remained functional.
The conglomerate that “the immediate priority is to ensure the proper maintenance of these gates so they continue to operate during floods and remain efficient at lowering the volume of water in the dam.”