Windfarm proj stalled due to lack of meetings

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- Series of  general assembly on the proposed  Sagada-Besao  windfarm  was postponed by National Commission on Indigenous Peoples regional director Sancho  Boquing following a  letter asking for postponement  from  nearly  a hundred signatories from central and northern Sagada.

Second general assemblies scheduled by NCIP were supposed to be held April 8 in northern Sagada, April 9 in central Besao and April 10 to 11 in Agawa, Besao.

A memorandum issued by NCIP Regional Director Sancho Boquing  to NCIP provincial director Tomas Tawagen  suspended the second general assembly from April second week to May 20-23.  

Affected folks’ letter to Boquing  copy furnished  local government units of  Besao and  Sagada and  the regional office of the NCIP  specially  asked for sufficient time of at least a minimum of  90 days to allow the necessary  information  to reach  affected folks  of northern  and central  Sagada and western and central  Besao before  the  second general assemblies  shall be conducted in affected areas.

Some documents necessary for the community to  be informed  and decide on whether to allow the  15 megawatt  windfarm be installed on the Pilaw-Langsayan watershed, were not made available to the public to cite a work and financial plan of proponent  Philcarbon, land use permit, environmental impact  study  and  the supposed environmental compliance certificate issued by DENR.

NCIP guidelines on securing free prior and informed consent (FPIC) of affected communities provide for the “full disclosure of records and information relevant to the plan, program, project or activity that would allow the community full access to records, documents, material information and facilities pertinent to the same.”

Same new guidelines issued 2012 also provide for the “submission by the applicant of an Environmental and Socio-cultural Impact Statement, detailing all the possible impact of the plan, program, project or activity upon the ecological, economic, social and cultural aspect of the community as a whole.

Such document shall clearly indicate how adverse effects may be avoided, mitigated and/or addressed.”

Village folks however said relevant and necessary information should be made available to the  public to  allow them sufficient time to study the documents before  the scheduled  second general assemblies  to  enable understanding and facilitation of  questions  by affected communities.

While this is so,  adverse effects of the windfarm  has not  yet been  answered by  Philcarbon  specially that on the  effects on  water  sources much as  domestic and  irrigation water is  practically sourced from the  critical  Pilaw-Langsayan   watershed.

The top question that people from Besao and Sagada  ask and want to know the answer is the effect of windmills on springs and the watershed. And for a wind farm which has not  yet been erected on  any  watershed in the country apart from windmills getting  protested in other countries proposed for construction on a watershed, the exploratory  Sagada-Besaowindfarm project continues to receive questions from residents.