Presidential bets should disallow sale of Angat, group says

Militant groups challenged presidential candidates to prove their independence by categorically stating that they will disallow the sale of the Angat Dam and undermine people’s access to water. The Water for the People Network issued the statement as the deadline for the submission of bids for the 246-megawatt (MW) Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant (HEPP) ended on Wednesday. “We need an assurance, especially from the leading presidential contenders, that they will protect the human right to water and not the private business interests wanting to control Angat Dam’s hydropower facilities. Whoever controls the hydropower facilities controls the flow and allocation of water from the dam," the WPN said in an article on the website of IBON Foundation, one of its component groups (info.ibon.org). The WPN noted interested buyers of the Angat HEPP include politically influential business groups in the country and perceived backers of some presidential bets. It said these included former Ambassador Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr.’s San Miguel Corp., the Lopez family’s First Gen Corp., the Ayala Group, Manuel Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Corp., Aboitiz Power Corp., and the Consunjis’s DMCI Power Corp. WPN said the issue of people’s access to water for basic uses will be a recurring problem that the next administration will face. The group said droughts, such as the one caused by El Niño, will be more intense due to climate change and will further limit available freshwater supply for domestic use and irrigation. It added the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), the body tasked to privatize Angat Dam, should not rush its privatization and at least wait until a new president takes over. “Aside from its serious impact on people’s access to water, the privatization will also be conducted in the thick of the elections. It is for the interest of everyone that the PSALM exercises due prudence and allow the next administration to decide on the fate of Angat Dam," said the group. Earlier, WPN said the privatization of the Angat HEPP will undermine the access to water for basic domestic use of some 14 million consumers in Metro Manila and several towns in the provinces of Rizal and Cavite. It will also threaten the use of water from Angat Dam for the irrigation needs of some 28,000 farmers in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, it added. As an alternative, WPN proposed that government’s water agencies take the lead in managing the facilities of the Angat Dam with sufficient mechanisms that will allow multi-stakeholder participation including consumers, farmers, non-government organizations, and concerned local government units in the management of the dam. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV