BULACAN – The Stop Kaliwa Dam Network condemned the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board’s approval of an additional P3.1 billion for the Kaliwa Dam Project, bringing the total cost to P15.3 billion. 

They criticized Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s administration and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for pushing forward with construction despite unresolved environmental, legal, and ethical concerns.

“Why was more funding added when so many violations have already been committed by the NCIP regarding the FPIC process? … There shouldn’t be more funding, the Kaliwa Dam should be stopped,” said Marcelino Tena, tribal leader of SAGIBIN-LN. “BBM said we should protect against climate change, yet he’s the one adding to it now.”

The dam, funded by a $211-million loan from China’s Exim Bank, aims to ease Metro Manila’s water shortage by supplementing the aging Angat Dam which supplies 90% of the region’s potable water. It is expected to provide 600 million liters of water daily and help reduce flooding in flood-prone areas like Pasig and Marikina.

However, the project threatens to flood 113 hectares of forest land and displace nearly 1,500 families, including Indigenous Dumagat Remontado communities. The Stop Kaliwa Dam Network accused MWSS of violating its Environmental Compliance Certificate by continuing construction without meeting environmental and social safeguards.

The group also highlighted violations in the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, stating that the consent from Indigenous communities was manipulated and did not reflect their true opposition.

“It’s the opposite of what he says … he even added ?12.2 billion to a project that will destroy our ancestral land as Indigenous Dumagat people,” said Ma. Clara Dullas, president of Kababaihang Dumagat ng Sierra Madre (KGAT), a women’s organization in the Sierra Madre.

Ramcy Astoveza of Samahan ng mga Katutubong Agta Dumagat/Remontado na Binabaka at Ipinagtatanggol ang Lupaing Ninuno (SAGIBIN-LN) said, “This move by the president is disheartening… MWSS and China are celebrating, while we dedicate our entire lives to protecting our land and tribe. I hope that this 2025, before they make agreements concerning our land, they speak to us first.”

Conrad Vargas of PICOPI raised concerns about financial mismanagement, citing studies that dam costs often balloon by 100% to 200 percent. “Every Filipino will bear the burden of paying this debt” he warned, that is why “we should question the legality of these decisions in the Supreme Court.” 

The Stop Kaliwa Dam Network also criticized President Marcos Jr. for not attending the 2023 Alay Lakad March where Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities walked for justice. They urged the president to listen to the people he vowed to serve, cancel the Kaliwa Dam Project, halt construction, and begin genuine dialogue with affected communities.

“Our forests, rivers, cultures, and lives are not for sale,” the network said, demanding sustainable, community-based water solutions that respect human rights and ancestral domains. (RTS, DAA)