BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – Former congressman Augusto Syjuco Jr. is jeopardizing the Jalaur mega dam project, complained Mayor Alex Centena of Calinog, Iloilo where the P11.2-billion infrastructure would rise.
“Calinognons have been waiting for this project since the 1960s but here comes Syjuco dipping his fingers on a matter without him fully understanding it,” Centena said over radio program, “Reklamo Publiko” yesterday.
The Jalaur River Multi-purpose Project – Phase II seeks to upgrade the existing irrigation systems coverage in Iloilo from 22,000 hectares to 31,840 hectares of farmland. The goal is to increase rice production.
But Syjuco sought a Writ of Kalikasan against the dam from the Supreme Court in October last year. He claimed the project would adversely affect 17,000 residents from 25 villages.
“I think Syjuco will be enlightened once he fully understands the situation on the ground,” Centena said.
A Writ of Kalikasan is a legal remedy which provides for the protection of one’s right to “a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature,” as provided for in Section 16, Article II of the 1987 Constitution.
The displaced will get resettlement and livelihood assistance, Centena said.
He challenged the former congressman of Iloilos’ 2nd District to visit Calinog and confer with the people, especially the Tumandok or indigenous peoples (IPs).
Calinog is part of Iloilo’s 3rd District already.
If Syjuco were to be believed, the IPs were not consulted about the project.
Centena, however, said the people of Calinog were supportive of the mega dam. They knew the benefits it would bring, he said.
The mega dam will harness the power of the Jalaur River to produce additional electricity estimated at 6.6 megawatts, said Centena.
It will also augment the province’s and Iloilo City’s supply of potable water for domestic and industrial use, mitigate flooding, promote eco-tourism, and generate employment for 17,000 workers during construction, he added.
In a recent hearing at the Court of Appeals in Manila, Syjuco presented three Tumandok from Calinog opposed to the mega dam. The Supreme Court ordered the appellate court in January to resolve issues related to the Writ of Kalikasan.
Centena said Syjuco’s three Tumandok witnesses were merely “used” and they even earned the ire of the rest of the IP community in Calinog.
He also said he would be the first to oppose the dam project if it is dangerous to his constituents.
The National Irrigation Administration, project implementer, already denied that the dam was susceptible to strong earthquakes.
Though the Supreme Court granted the Writ of Kalikasan on the project, it did not issue a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO).
A TEPO would have stopped the dam’s construction.
Iloilo senator Franklin Drilon who had lobbied for the project’s realization is confident that the dam will see construction.
The detailed engineering designs are currently being finalized and actual civil works are expected start by the first quarter of next year, he said.
A loan from the Korea Export-Import Bank will finance the project.
On February 21, 2013, no less than President Benigno Aquino III headed the ceremonial capsule-laying for the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project – Phase II at the Iloilo provincial capitol./PN
