Lakad Laban sa Laiban Dam (March Against Laiban Dam)

Sana ay nababalitaan o nakikita nyo na rin sa media ang tungkol rito. Susubukan kong maging maikli ito at sana ay mabasa nyo ang entry na ito hanggang sa dulo. 

Ito po ang isang press release na makapagbibigay ng mga basic information tungkol sa martsa:

9-day march vs. Laiban Dam set (mula sa fdc.ph) QUEZON CITY – Barely two weeks after the devastating floods and controversial dam releases of Typhoon Pepeng, various groups from Metro Manila, Quezon, and Rizal are bracing themselves for their own battle against the construction of yet another giant dam. In a press conference held today, various groups headed by the Save Sierra Madre Network (SSMN) called on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to issue an executive order scrapping the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Services' (MWSS) proposed 113-meter high Laiban Dam Project.  In the same press conference co-organized with the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and Pambansang Kilusan ng Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), the group revealed their plans for a nine-day march to dramatize their protest and to gather support from policy makers and the public against the dam project.  The protest march, which will run from Nov.4 to Nov.12, has been dubbed “Lakad Laban sa Laiban Dam,” and will involve a grueling 148-km march from General Nakar in Quezon Province to Malacañang. One hundred marchers are set to complete the entire length of the march, consisting of representatives from the indigenous peoples, farmers, women, rural workers, youth and religious sector. Among the scheduled stops is the MWSS office in Balara, Quezon City. The groups stressed that the proposed dam project is anti-environment, anti-development and anti-human rights.  The dam reservoir of 28,000 hectares is set to displace 4,413 families from seven barangays. Legally-protected rainforest areas housing endemic and endangered species are set to be buried underwater as part of the dam reservoir area, along with areas being claimed as ancestral lands by the Dumagats and Remontados. In addition, the groups underscored that should the dam break or be made to release sudden bursts of large water volumes, a repeat of the destructive flood in Northern Quezon in November 2004 can result to unimaginable catastrophes. These fears are said to be further aggravated by the dam site's proximity to the active Marikina fault zone.  According to the group, Metro Manila's consumers would bear the brunt of the costs for the project, which is presently the most expensive water supply project of the MWSS to date. The hefty price tag of $1B is also expected to hike up to almost $2B due to delays and huge cost over-runs, which are typical of large dam construction. Better alternatives to the Laiban Dam do exist, the groups claimed.     They added that one of the most viable alternatives is to restore denuded forests in Angat, Ipo and La Mesa watersheds. In addition, the government must intensify the anti-logging campaign and rehabilitate existing watershed such as the Wawa Watershed to increase water flow. Furthermore, another simple and economical option is to reduce the demand for water coupled with improvement of the efficiency of the Manila Water and Maynilad by reducing their non-revenue water levels which translate to water wastage. The groups said that the destruction that inundated the Northern and Central Luzon because of large dams must convince the government and the public that it is both necessary and possible to put an end to the construction of destructive large dams.  Since large dams have proven to be disastrous to the communities and the environment, all plans of the government to construct monstrous dams must be abandoned immediately, said the group. -30-

Gusto ko ring ibahagi sa inyo ang update na ito mula sa isa sa mga pinuno na nag-organisa ng martsa:

dear SSMN and suporters,

 

Hindi na po 123 or 148 ang mga marchers ng Lakad Laban sa Laiban kundi 150 na talagang didiretso ng Malakanyang mula dito sa bayang Real e kanina inayos namin ang mga issue ukol sa sino talaga ang didiretso. Kaya medyo baka pwede gawan natin ng paraan sa pagkain kasi kung kulang e baka yung ibang grupo ay tumulong po.

 

tiyak ako mas marami ang dadalo pagdating ng Malakanyang dahil sasama din ang Tanay group at Marikina group at Manila group na mga maralitang lungsod.

 

tama rin na usapan natin na kanya kanyang sagot at ang tanging sasagutin ay yung lang talagang marchers na galing dito sa Quezon na tuluy-tuloy naglakad kaya nga minsan hinahati na lang namin ang pagkain ng isang tao kung kinakapos.

 

Ganuon pa man napakaganda ng mga pangyayari dito simula sa Nakar then Infanta tapos Real kasi parang people power ang dating dahil mayroong nag-aabot ng pagkain o bigas kahit isang kilo lang sa kalsada mula sa mga taong di naman natin kilala.

 

Merun pang mga banda ng musikong umaalalay, pati nga mga sasakyan ay bumubusina bilang suporta. Kulang lang tayo ng leaflets or polyeto na dapat ipamigay sa kalasada at megaphone para hindi mapaos ang taga sigaw ng ating issue na

 

Leader: SAVE SIERRA MADRE!

Marchers: STOP LAIBAN DAM !

 

Nakakatuwa ang mga nangyayari kasi parang liberation day kapag kami ay dumarating sa bawat lugar dahil nagkakaruon na ng awareness. wala kaming sinisirang tao o pagsasalita ng laban sa gobyerno e tinatawag namin si Gloria bilang Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.  Ulanin at arawan kami e tuloy lang ang paglalakad e mukhang napapabilis ang lakad kasi naiinip ang mga katutubo kaya naiiwan ang mga tagalog.

 

Halos paltos na rin ang mga paa ng mga marchers at masasakit na ang katawan kaya kilangan namin ng gamot pati opintment sa muscle pain o kaya gamot sa sakit ng katawan.  Nagcheck kami kanina ni gov Nap ng paa sa tignoan ay parehas na kaming me paltos. Sa mga sandaling ito ay paakyat na ang grupo sa Llavac na pinakamahirap akyatin at malakas ang ulan.

 

Kulang ng 10 raincoat ngayon e wori baka pag may sumama pa e talaga basa sila kaya yung sasama ay magdala ng sariling gamit (raincoat at flashlight at tsinelas) Baka kailangang mayroong umalalay ng medical group sa grupo o kaya sa oras ng pahinga sa lugar na tutulugan para sa mga karamdaman.

 

Mayroong 2 bata tayong naglalakad kasama ng kanilang magulang paMalakanyang at ang mga matatanda nating marchers ay halos 15 siguro mula sa mga katutubo na idad 55-70 (senior citizen na)

 

mamya ay babalik ako sa hanay ng mga marchers e mag aupload lang ako ng mga photos ng lakad laban sa laiban sa website ko pakicheck lang at duon na lang kayo kumuha kung kailangan ng media (hhtp://bromart.multiply.com)

 

Sana ay mag isyu na si PGMA ng Executive Order na tuluyan ng ibasura ang Laiban dam par a umuwi ang mga katutubo na hindi bigo at luhaan kaya malaki ang maitutulong ninyo po sa logistics, media coverage at aktwal na sasama sa paglakad kahit sa anong lugar na kaya po ninyo dahil malaking bagay ito upang maramdaman ng mga katutubo na mahal din natin sila sa kabila ng kanilang abang kalagayan.

 

Maraming salamat po

 

bro martin

spokeperson ng SSMN

media field coordinator

chairperson ng SSMESI

Eto naman po ang call for support.  Nabanggit dito na 100 ang sasama sa martsa ngunit kagaya nga ng nasabi sa update sa itaas, 150 na ang mga magmamartsa galing sa Quezon.

SUPPORT AN INDIGENOUS FAMILY FOR 7 DAYS

Seven Days of Action Against Laiban Dam will start on November 4, 2009 (Wednesday). One hundred (100) marchers composed of indigenous peoples, women, farmers, rural workers, urban poor, church workers and youth will march from General Nakar, Quezon to Malacañang, about 148 km, to protest against the construction of the Laiban Dam. But they need your help to succeed.

The location of the Laiban Dam is to be built in Kaliwa Watershed ofSierra Madre. This watershed is an exceptional resource and recognized for its outstanding biodiversity by HARIBON (Important Biodiversity Area). The construction of Laiban Dam puts at risk already endangered species to be found in the watershed with an approximate area of 12,147 hectares of residual forests which hosts 172 species (flora) recorded, 39 of which are endemic and 17 threatened (5 critically endangered, 4 endangered and 8 vulnerable).

More than the species that the Dam will submerge, the ancestral domain of our Indigenous brothers and sisters which has been their home even before the existence of the Spanish government will be taken away from them.

The Indigenous people are the the most vulnerable sector of our society. The lowlanders have exploited their ignorance, fooled them into selling their products at a very low price, and have encroached on their land until they are forced to settle elsewhere. We share the blame. We contribute to their misery by our indifference and biases. We have pushed them to the margins of existence. We have sacrificed them in the name of development

Australia and US have already formally apologised to the Indigenous communities for the injustices and mistakes of the past.. God gifted us with a Christian conscience to help us accept and respect the specific and unique perceptions of the Indigenous.

Lakad Laban sa Laiban Dam is estimated to take seven days. Marchers are mostly indigenous peoples who are heads of families. In order to lighten their burden of leaving their families, we are calling for donations in cash or kind to cover their families' need for rice for the duration of the seven-day march.

We urge everyone to donate either in cash or in kind:

target amount per family: P875

Where, cost of rice is P35.00/kilo

No of kilos required for 7 days for a family of six is 25

number of families to be supported) is 40

Total amout targeted:

P35.00 x 25 kilos x 40 families= P 35,000

Rice donations can be dropped off at SOCIAL ACTION CENTER, Taktak Rd.Antipolo City or to the parish office near you.

You can help make a difference in saving lives and Sierra Madre.

Ang inyong suporta ay napakahalaga kung hindi man para sumama mismo sa martsa ay para masiguro na maisagawa ang martsang protesta na ito na ligtas at may sapat na pagkain ang ating mga kapwa sa kabundukan at ang kanilang mga pamilya.  Kung interesado po kayo na tumulong, maaari pong kontakin diretso si Fr. Bien (09178124623) ng Antipolo SAC o makipag ugnayan kina Dianne (09209077152) o Jerbert (09266410354) ng Freedom from Debt Coalition.  Inaasahan po na ang mga magmamartsa ay darating sa Antipolo sa ika-9, sa MWSS ng ika-10, at daraan din sa DENR at NCIP sa ika-11 ng Nobyembre.    

Para sa mga interesado na magkaroon pa ng dagdag na kaalaman tungkol sa isyu na ito makakatulong po ang mga website na ito: http://bromart.multiply.com/ o http://www.fdc.ph

Maraming maraming salamat!