The Jala-ur River project fiasco, revisited

AND YOU thought that all the brouhaha about that controversial Jala-ur River mega dam project has died down and it was safe to go back in to the waters.

Well guess again as the ball is still in play.

The May 24 headline of Panay News inspired a revisit. Here are excerpts from that story:

Dam critics ‘persona non grata’

Three persons who went to South Korea to protest the construction of the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) were declared persona non grata by the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Calinog, Iloilo.

“They want to hamper the development of our locality,” read part of the SB resolution.

The three persons were Remia Castor of Barangay Alibunan, Calinog and council member of the Tumandok Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in the municipality; John Ian Alenciaga, coordinator of the Jalaur River for the People’s Movement; and Cynthia Deduro, executive director of Dagsaw Panay and Guimaras Indigenous People’s Network.

The mega dam, to be funded by the South Korean government, will be constructed in the hinterlands of Calinog.

In July 2016 the Jalaur River for the People’s Movement, an alliance composed of environmental advocates, peoples’ organizations, church people, members of the academe and indigenous people’s organizations, launched an international solidarity mission against the mega dam project.

It claimed the project will directly affect 16 IP communities, nine of which will be totally submerged in water.

It also warned of adverse ecological impacts.

The main infrastructure, according to the group, would be located 11 kilometers from the active Western Panay Fault which caused a strong earthquake in Panay Island in 1948.

Now, moi is wondering who financed the Korean trip of these three “dam critics.” We all know that going to South Korea is not like taking a jeep from Calinog to Iloilo City; it will cost you much, much more.

Putting that aside, moi agrees with them that the construction of that dam will definitely affect large parts of bio-diverse habitats, currently covered by forests and home to several endangered species.

Currently the island of Guimaras is overwhelmed with the massive influx of tourists due to the closure of Boracay and it seems the local governments are not prepared for this and are having difficulty coping up.

If you think that the sinking of Guimaras Island to the sea will probably be the biggest ecological disaster to hit this side of the world, think again. There’s another one just as big, perhaps even bigger.

And this is the proposed “mega-dam” – the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Phase II (JRMPP). According to the Environmental Justice Atlas, the proposed “mega dam” may be termed “mega” due to its economic costs, social and environmental impacts and potential for environmental disasters. But in reality the dam is quite small compared to say The Three Gorges Dam in China. It is also a small dam project in terms of irrigated area and its production capacity of only 6.6 MW.  Also according to the Environmental Justice Atlas, “The project has received therefore large critics and protests, and is alleged to be likely related to corruption and private interests, rather than to the development of the region.”  That maybe very well the case but we’re not going to talk about that but the impact of the dam to the environment.

According to the Environmental Justice Atlas, “studies emphasized the lack of assessments of how the dam would respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, particularly as being located on “an area with a series of faults and fractures.” The potential breaking of the dam, feared due to its geological unstable location, would cause massive flooding of the downstream cities Passi and Iloilo. Several strong earthquakes, up to magnitudes of 9 and 8, were registered in the past in the region, known to be prone to earthquakes and landslides. Moreover, large parts of bio-diverse habitats, currently covered by forests and home to several endangered species, would be flooded. The upstream reservoir would convert a unique ecosystem, home to indigenous communities, into a large artificial lake and potential breeding spot for diseases, as well as into a significant source of greenhouse gases. In summary, the dam would threaten people, wildlife and increasing the risk of environmental disasters.”
Of course, we all know that the dam is to be partly financed by the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which has been declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court due to dubious financial issues and potential abuse for bribery. And we all know that the project’s strongest campaigner is none other than Sen. Franklin Drilon.

The main funding for the project is an P8.95-billion bank loan which will come from the South Korean government through the Export Import Bank of Korea. The remaining costs would be covered by the Philippine government and this is where DAP comes in.

So there you have it folks, a project with a huge potential to be the next biggest environmental disaster not only in the Island of Panay but in the country as well. If this does happen, the body counts of super typhoon “Yolanda” will pale in comparison to the Jala-ur River project fiasco. The irony of it all is that both potential environmental disasters, Guimaras and Iloilo, are manmade. All because of ignorance, greed and apathy! (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)