The picture below was taken in the farm of a small-scale farmer from barangay Jose Rizal, located in the lower portions of Mount Apo. The farmer's land was flooded because of the construction of a hydropower plant by Hedcor inside Mount Apo Natural Park.
This farmer lost half a hectare of his farm due to the Hedcor project. He has been struggling to get the damage to his property compensated since he will permanently lose part of his income. This farmer is not the only one who suffers the negative effects of the Hedcor project. The construction of roads and dams and the cutting of trees causes dirt and rocks to wash into the river. The people who live downstream from the Hedcor project have witnessed the water of the Sibulan River - which used to be one of the cleanest in the country - turn brown. People can no longer drink from the river, bathe or wash clothes. People who go to the river to catch fish now return without catch. Unlike the people uphill, who have been promised infrastructure works and money by Hedcor in exchange for their consent for the project, the communities downstream have had no voice in the decision. They, however, are the ones truly affected...
Last week president Arroyo visited the Hedcor Sibulan project. For those who were still wondering why this environmentally and socially risky project was allowed to be implemented in a protected area, the visit of Arroyo should make it obvious that Hedcor is the darling of the president. Perhaps her visit was also a (not so very) silent wink towards the Davao City Council to endorse Hedcor's plans in Tamugan. Hopefully the Davao City Council will hold on to the Davao Water Code which prohibits projects like this in Tamugan.
There is strong pressure, though, not only from the national government. Similarly to what happened in Mount Apo, Hedcor has succeeded in getting the consent from the affected communities by promising money and 'development'. The law prohibits companies to force commnities to give their consent to their projects. Promising millions of pesos to poor communities, however, is probably the most efficient form of pressure imaginable. The law cannot prevent companies like Hedcor from buying their way into an area. Once the communties support the project, all other permits tend to follow, even if environmental laws have to be amended.
Mount Apo is not only a protected area, it is also the ancestral domain of the Bagobo-Tagabawa. In the video below, you can see the tribal chieftain of the Bagobo-Tagabawa, dressed up for the occasion, expressing words of praise to the benefits Hedcor brings to 'his people'. Ironically, the place where the tribal leader and president Arroyo are standing is right opposite the farm that was flooded because of the Hedcor project. If only that tribal leader had pointed towards the opposite bank of the river to show the real effects of this project...
