'Betrayed’ Benguet folk press NPC: Fulfill P17 M promise

By Dexter A. See
ITOGON, Benguet – Indigenous peoples, who were allegedly betrayed by top government officials to give up their valuable lands in exchange for compensation over the past six years, appealed to the management and policy-makers of the National Power Corp. to release the P17 million compensation for their lands in barangays Ampucao and Dalupirip here which were submerged by the waters of the San Roque Multi-purpose dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan.

In their appeal letter sent to the NPC board, the Aritao clan, which has still at least 112 hectares of submerged properties that remain unpaid by the State-run corporation, said the kind-heartedness of NPC officials must prevail in approving the release of the P17 million compensation package so that they could already start a new lease in life since they have already suffered anxiety over the past six years waiting for the promised payment for their lands which were taken by the government for the megadam operation.

According to them, their lives now are considered to be miserable because they lost their lands which they previously tilled to earn a living, thus, their children have already stopped schooling due to the taking of their main source of income just to satisfy the government’s desire to operate the dam for additional power.

While they had a heavy heart signing the agreement and other documents turning over their properties to the NPC, they were promised appropriate compensation through the sugar-coated words of NPC officials and government leaders who repeatedly assured them of payment for their lands at the soonest possible time.

However, to their surprise, the previous over concerned and kind NPC officials suddenly turned aloft for still unknown reasons when they made several follow-ups on their promised compensation, thus, casting doubt on the sincerity of the government in fulfilling its promise to them.

The demand for payment of additional land claims by the Aritao clan was based on an agreement signed by the clan with former San Roque Multi-purpose Dam Project (SRMDP) project manager Melchor F. Pulanco dated June 10, 2002.

From a supposed kind-hearted executives, the clan emphasized NPC then started to require them numerous documents to justify their claims which they eventually complied but still, there was no payment made because NPC officials keep coming out with reasons after reasons, obviously delaying the payment of the compensation.

According to the leaders of the clan, Molines Ewis, Johnny Golingab and Venancio Aritao, the appeal for payment to NPC is their last-ditch effort to collect what is due them if they see justice in their case, thus, they must exert all their efforts with dispatch since the clan members are already close to desperation.

After signing the 2002 agreement, the Aritao clan asserted the least that NPC should have done is to honor it and at least assured their feelings by paying for their land so that they could use the money for a fresh start with their lives.

“We were really surprised because when we were still negotiating for the removal of our barricades in 1995, your officials assured us that payment would be made immediately as there were no foreseeable problems but now that our land were already taken, we are required to fulfill a lot of requirements,” they said.