[asia-apec 1542] Action Alert against San Roque Dam and Text for Postcard Campaign

[BAYAN]

FROM THE CORDILLERA PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE, PHILIPPINES:
PO Box 975, 2600 Baguio City, Philippines 
Tel: + 63 74 4426358, Fax: + 63 74 443 7159,
Email: cpa11 at skyinet.net



Dear friends,

Greetings from the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA)!

Below is  the  draft text of the Action alert/postcard campaign on the San
Roque Dam campaign which is a joint project of CPA and the International
Rivers Network (IRN). The postcard will be sent to the Philippine President
and
to the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation-- the one funding the
project. This will  be ready for distribution by end September.  

The postcard campaign is aimed to create an international pressure to JBIC
and the Phil. National Government to cancel the project because of it's
adverse impact to the dam effected communities, and to the Filipino people
in general. The post-card campaign will coincide with other campaign
activities such as the national Fact-Finding Mission to dam affected
communities in Pangasinan on first week Ocotber, and lobby tour of
representatives of dam affected communities in Japan on the second half of
November others for stronger impact.

For the postcard campaign, may we request for your support and assistance
by acting as distribution center in your respective area/country. If this
is possible, please inform us how many copies you can manage and also
provide us with your complete mailing address. IRN will be the one to send
this to you from California, U.S.A.

Kindly acknowledge this message and we look forward to your positive response.

Sincerely,

Joan Carling
Secretary General
Cordillera Peoples Alliance


Stop the San Roque Dam! Let the Agno River Flow.

A social and economic crisis is brewing in the Philippines.

Thousands of people are being forced to sacrifice their lives and livelihoods
for the  $1.1 billion San Roque Dam Project, financed by the Japan Bank for 
International Cooperation. You can help them! Sign and mail the attached
postcards to the Japanese and Philippine governments today.

Already, hundreds of families have been moved to make way for the project.
Many are struggling to survive in cramped quarters in a resettlement site,
without any land to sustain them. The lives of another 200 families are
being disrupted by excavation for the dam. They, too, will be forced from
their lands.

And this is just the beginning. Twenty thousand indigenous Ibaloi people
living upstream may lose their ancestral lands to excessive sedimentation
as a result of the project. They have vowed to fight the project to the
end, stating that they will not be a party to their own death. But they
need your help.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation, a publicly funded
institution, has lent $700 million to the project. The Bank has policies in
place which state that those resettled need to have a guaranteed means of
livelihood. The people affected by San Roque do not.

Help us send a strong message to JBIC today. All further loan disbursements
must be withheld until a thorough and public reassessment of the project's
economic, social and environmental impacts has been completed.

"Like Cows in a Corral"  San Roque Oustees Battle to Survive
"I feel like we are cows put in a corral. We can't do anything but walk
around in circles. We're like cows getting thinner everyday without any
grass to eat." -- 66 year old man

Around 180 families have already been moved to the Camanggaan resettlement
site. Families have been relegated to small concrete houses boxes, really.
There is no land available for the new tenants to grow food or graze
animals. Some people have sunk into despair as the reality of their new
lives finally hits them. Most are still waiting for the small amount of
compensation promised to them. Stuck on 200 square-meter lots
with no  source of income, families are battling to survive.

No Jobs, No Livelihood Programs
Villagers who formerly led subsistence livelihoods have been abandoned on
resettlement sites without means of supporting themselves. NPC promised to
give the relocated families priority employment at the dam construction
site, yet only around 10% have received jobs. Those who have jobs fear for
the future when dam construction is complete and all the jobs disappear.

Around 90 percent of relocated families still do not have a stable source
of livelihood. Some people were promised 20,000 pesos as initial capital
for livelihood programs, but none have received this money. Others were
promised livestock projects but have no land to raise animals.

People at Camanggaan feel they were better off in their former communities.
Before we moved here, we were far better off. Even though we had smaller
houses, we had sources of livelihood," said a 39-year-old mother of three. 
"We could eat, grow vegetables, do gold panning. Here we need money to
survive but we have no source of income. Life here is difficult."

Poor process
>From the start, people affected by the San Roque Dam have been lied to and
shut out of the planning process. People were coerced into signing
documents agreeing to resettlement and offers of compensation. Many could
not understand the contract since it was written in English and not
explained to them.

Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance
20,000 indigenous Ibaloi people living upstream are fiercely opposed to the
San Roque Dam, believing it will destroy their community and their
livelihood. They are concerned that high rates of sedimentation in the
watershed area will lead to increased flooding around the reservoir,
inundating their lands and negatively impacting water quality.

For the Ibaloi, the destruction associated with large dams is all too
clear. After nearly 40 years, some 2,000 Ibaloi families displaced by the
upstream Ambuklao and Binga dams have not received any compensation. Many
of those displaced have seen their lands covered by increasing sediment
loads backed up behind the dams. They know that the same will happen at San
Roque if it is completed.

A Bad Investment for the Philippines
Rather than bring growth and prosperity, the San Roque dam is likely to
saddle the Philippine government with huge debt. The generous power
purchase agreement assures that San Roque Power Corporation is guaranteed
lucrative returns while the Philippine people are saddled with the
project’s social, environmental and hydrologic risks. NPC has agreed to pay
more than 5 times current rates for power, and a $10 million per
month “capacity fee” even if no power is generated by the dam.

For further information, go to
<http://www.irn.org/programs/sanroque>www.irn.org/programs/sanroque, or
contact:

Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance, PO Box 975, 2600 Baguio City, Philippines 
Tel: + 63 74 4426358, Fax: + 63 74 443 7159,
Email: cpa11 at skyinet.net

International Rivers Network, 1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley CA 94703, USA. 
Tel: + 1 510 848 1155, Fax: + 1 510 848 1008
Email: irn at irn.org


HERE’S THE TEXT FOR THE POSTCARDS TO JBIC AND ERAP.

Dear Mr. Yasuda,

I am very concerned about the plight of people resettled for the San Roque
Multipurpose Project and urge you to cancel all remaining loans for the
project. It is quite clear that the National Power Corporation has violated
JBIC and international best practice guidelines on resettlement.

Currently, hundreds of families are struggling to survive on the Camanggaan
resettlement site. Promises of jobs, compensation, and livelihood projects
have not been honored. Another 200 families to be resettled from the
excavation area will likely share the same fate. 20,000 indigenous Ibaloi
people face destruction of their communities due to excessive sedimentation
and deteriorated water quality as a result of the dam.

In light of these concerns, I urge JBIC to stop all further disbursements
for the project. Additional resettlement should be halted until a full and
complete investigation of existing and future resettlement is carried out,
and until those people who have already been resettled are assured of a
sustained and satisfactory livelihood. JBIC, as primary funder of the
project, has an obligation to ensure that this occurs.

Sincerely,



p.s. Please keep me informed of action taken to alleviate suffering at the
San Roque resettlement sites at the following address:



------------------------------
President Estrada
Office of the President
Malacañang Palace Compound
J.P. Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila
Philippines

Dear President Estrada,

I am writing to urge you to stop the San Roque Multipurpose Project. There
is clear evidence that this project is a bad investment for the Philippine
people and government and a social and economic nightmare for those who
have been displaced for the dam.

The generous power purchase agreement assures that San Roque Power
Corporation is guaranteed lucrative returns while the Philippine people are
saddled with the project’s social, environmental and hydrologic risks. NPC
has agreed to pay more than 5 times current rates for power, and a $10
million per month capacity fee even if no power is generated by the dam.

It is quite clear that NPC has failed to adhere to JBIC or international
best practice guidelines on resettlement. Hundreds of families are
struggling to survive on cramped resettlement sites without adequate land
or sources of livelihood. 20,000 indigenous Ibaloi people face destruction
of their communities due to excessive sedimentation as a result of the dam.

I do not support subsidizing foreign corporations at the cost of the
Philippine people. I urge you to stop the SRMP immediately and take steps
to restore the livelihoods of those who have already been displaced by the
project. I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,


Name:
Address:



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