By Gina Dizon
PASIL, KALINGA -- Elders of Balatoc, Colayo and
Guinaang questioned environmental effects that the giant Chevron
company’s applied geothermal project may bring to their land and
mountains here.
Elders said there was not much information about geothermal energy despite a compliance certificate attesting to the free prior and
informed consent process given by affected communities, and a memorandum
of agreement entered into by community representatives with the Guidance Management Corporation- Aragorn Power and Energy Corp.
and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.
GMC-APEC are partners of the multinational Chevron
company in the geothermal exploration activities in Kalinga
covering Tinglayan and Pasil municipalities.
Compliance certificates to the FPIC process and
respective MOA were gathered from Pasil’s 10 barangay
representatives separately grouped into six ancestral domains
of the tribes of Colayo; Balatoc; Guinaang in five
barangays Guinaang Proper, Maluksad, Pugong, Galdang and
Bagtayan; Dangtalan; and Ableg.
An FPIC and a MOA were earlier inked
between elders and APEC-GMC for the geothermal
exploration to proceed with “uninterrupted and free access,” but
questions persist.
“The agreement was not done with the umili.”
elder Quirino Dugayon of the Guinaang tribe said, referring to the collective membership of affected communities.
Consultations among the umili and full disclosure on its
operations were major concerns, respondents bared to this writer.
Balatoc elder and Sangguniang Bayan member
Albert Maiyao said there were questions that needed
answers.
He said an environmental impact assessment
along with an environmental clearance certificate from the
department of environment and natural resources was crucial in this
undertaking that the community has entered into.
He also mentioned the need for wider consultation
among barangay constituents.
Barangay Kagawad Ignacio Lingbawan of
Guinaang barangay said there were questions
that should be resolved on environmental
effects that the geothermal plant may bring as earth
movements or eruptions.
Balatoc has a dormant volcano. Some individuals feared
there may be some effects like what happened to the Pinatubo
volcano that erupted when geothermal drilling operations
began in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s.
Pasil mayor James Edduba said he advised GMC-APEC-
Chevron representatives not to leave any question un-responded to
answer peoples’ queries.
The geothermal exploration covers 14,000 hectares of Pasil’s 10 barangays to determine geothermal potentials in
the neighboring areas.
Geothermal energy depends on the supply of heat under
the earth and equally from a luxuriant watershed to keep water supply
consistent.
The energy is sourced from steam reservoirs
below the ground and holes drilled down to a reservoir. Each separate production well is mined for the thermal energy it
produces and sent in a power house. The steam spins the blades of a turbine attached to a
generator.
Emilio Kitongan who chairs the energy committee of the
Sangguniang Bayan here said rights of people should not be compromised.
He referred to the terms of the MOA that should have been
implemented citing identified community projects, within a
five year period starting 2007 when the agreement was done.
“Most of these projects were not implemented until now,”
he said.
Kitongan earlier wrote the NCIP and GMC-APEC reminding them of
their commitments.
The tri-agreement among GMC-APEC, NCIP, and the elders
of the affected communities referred to construction of
Malucsad multipurpose Building, rehabilitation of Tabia CS covering
Guinaang and parts of Bagtayan, Pugong, Maluksad, and Galdang;
Bagtayan health center, Pugong water works and concreting of Lantaga to Payoc and
Lantaga to Opopa irrigation.
Benefits for Colayo included a day care center,
multipurpose pavement , mini hydro at Magolon CIS, school compound fencing,
community bathroom one unit , concrete school stage ,
rehabilitation of level 2 water, rehabilitation of existing irrigation
Siyao to Kalwitan.
Other covered barangay-ancestral domains have their own
identified community projects agreed upon with GMC-APEC.
A surety bond entered into by APEC and UPCB General
Insurance Inc May this year bound the latter to
the LGU of Pasil 1.5 million pesos per ancestral domain on
communities’ ensuring safe and access of APEC and
partners, and APEC to abide by the implementation of the
community development projects it has committed to do in a period
of time. Projects should have been done by 2013.
Financial assistance of
P10,000 per student per semester was supposed to have been given to
15 scholars per ancestral domain since 2009 to date.
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