Peasants hold workhop on energy development
2 MIN READ
By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net
BAGUIO CITY — Spearheaded by the Alyansa Dagiti Pesante iti Taeng Kordilyera (Apit Tako) development workers from different provinces of the Cordillera Region participated in a two-day workshop on Hydro-electric and Geothermal projects and Renewable Energy.
According to Apit Tako spokesperson Andres Wailan, there are many hydro-electric and geothermal projects in the region. These he said affects the environment as well as the livelihood of the Indigenous Peoples of the Cordillera. When the government and energy companies see the potentials of the rivers and the hot springs of the region he said, it only means bigger problems to the IPs and the peasants.
Wailan said the livelihood and existence of IP communities will be sacrificed to pave the way to the building of large dams and geothermal plants.
Documents and position papers of the Cordillera Peoples Alliances (CPA) have stated that the building of hydroelectric dams have only submerged ancestral lands, caused erosion, siltation and submerged their communities as witnessed by the experiences of the Ibaloi people when Ambuklao and Binga dam were built in the 1960s.
Apit Tako’s primer on geothermal plants also explained that such power generation development can cause earthquakes, soil subsidence, air and water pollution.
He said that the participants are working with IP communities and places in the Cordillera where there are existing dams and geothermal power plants and applications for such developments.
Only two provinces he said were not represented in the workshop because of bad road conditions and the inclement weather.
Wailan added that after the seminar, the participants are expected to re-echo the lessons gained to educate the people about dams and Geothermal plants and renewable energy.
He said that with the information and education campaign, the people will be more equipped with adequate knowledge on the nature of hydro-electric and geothermal power plants and be better equipped to intelligently participate in decision making for the environment and their communities.
He added that this will also help the people organize themselves to defend their communities from devastation brought by projects that are designed for profit and not really for the benefit of all. # nordis.net
