MULTIMEDIA

The fight against Kaliwa Dam is a fight for human rights

At the forefront of the fight against the construction of Kaliwa mega dam are the Dumagat communities in Barangay Daraitan, whose houses and livelihoods were damaged by Typhoon Ulysses. The destruction brought by the recent typhoon attests to the pending disaster that the proposed Kaliwa Dam might bring. With Typhoon Ulysses flooding more than 1,500 houses and washing out 500 houses in Barangay Daraitan, the Kaliwa Dam poses a real threat to the security of life and livelihoods of communities living in flood-prone areas during typhoons. 

The Kaliwa river and flooding

With the threat of flooding during the rainy season, the households near the Kaliwa river remain vigilant of the continuously overflowing water from the river. Aileen Vertudez, a Dumagat resident of Barangay Daraitan whose house has been washed out, is frightened by the pending construction of Kaliwa dam. Vertudez says, “Talaga pong ako’y nangangamba na iya’y lalaki pag natuloy ang [Kaliwa] dam. Wala pong matitira uli dito kapag bumaha. Wala pa ng’ang dam ay lumalaki ng ganun kalaki ang tubig mas lalong lalaki kung may nakaharang.” (We are really scared that the Kaliwa river will grow even bigger if the [Kaliwa] dam construction happens. There won’t be anything left here when the river overflows again. Now, we don’t have the dam, but the river grows really big, how much more when the dam obstructs the river.)

The Vertudez family has constructed a small shanty in replacement of their previously destroyed one but has also built another house on higher ground to avoid repeating damage to their properties. The community near the Kaliwa river is continuously threatened by another flooding due to the river’s status. For almost a month since Typhoon Ulysses, the river remains brown, unclear, and overflowing due to the monsoon rains pouring.

The fight for human rights

 

The Kaliwa Dam project denies the right of Dumagat communities to adequate life. Article 25 of the International Convention on the declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control." The proposed Kaliwa dam project robs Dumagat communities of their access to sustainable livelihood through land security, denies them clean water and environment, and threatens their safety during a calamity. 

Nelly Dela Carzada, one of the Dumagat elders in Barangay Daraitan, lost her planted crops (taro, coconut, banana) due to the strong rains flowing through the mountains causing several landslides to her uphill farm. Rice fields and lowland farms were also damaged by the floods coming from the Kaliwa river. Right beside the river, the debris of wood and uprooted trees remain lying on the ground as communities start rehabilitating the area.

Among the Dumagat leaders calling for the MWSS to stop the construction of the Kaliwa dam is Renato Ibañez who considers the fight against the Kaliwa Dam a collective fight of the Filipino people. According to Ibañez, “Ang laban sa Kaliwa Dam ay hindi lang ang Dumagat ang magsacrifice 'pag ito ay naitayo. Maski ikaw ay Tagalog, o ikaw ay nasa buong Pilipinas, kasama ka sa pag babayad niyan. Lalo na sa pagkakautang.” (The Dumagat communities are not the only ones sacrificing for the fight against the Kaliwa Dam once it’s built. Whether you are a Tagalog or anyone in the Philippines, you will be paying for the construction of the dam, especially the loan for the dam.)

The fight of the Dumagat communities against the Kaliwa Dam project remains steadfast beyond the celebration of Human Rights Day this year. Ibañez calls on the Filipino people to collectively resist the Kaliwa Dam project and protect Sierra Madre for the generations to come. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Kathleen Lei Limayo is a documentary filmmaker, documentary photographer, and visual anthropologist. She focuses on visually documenting the climate crisis and covers stories on the intersections of environmental issues with human rights and indigenous rights. This story was made as part of the Stop Kaliwa Dam Network.