[asia-apec 1774] Request for Support Against San Roque Dam in the Philippines

[Kevin Li]

Dear Friends and Kabayan,

We would like to seek your support.

The United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK), United Pangasinan-HK,
Cordillera Alliance and Abra Tinggian Ilocano Society (ATIS) together with
cause oriented migrant institutions are spearheading a campaign in Hong Kong
and would like to encourage migrant advocates, environmentalist, human rights
defender, religious groups and sectors to support the campaign against the
construction of San Roque Dam Project in Pangasinan, Philippines.

The San Roque Dam project is on its way and more destruction of environment,
peoples lives and livelihood are expected.

Below is a statement initially signed by Filipino migrant organizations and
institutions in Hong Kong.

We encourage you/your organization to support this campaign by co-signing the
petition below. If you wish to co-sign the statement, you may do so by sending
us a reply through e-mail with your name on the subject and we will add your
name as one of the signatories. You can also send this appeal/request to your
respective e-mail networks and friends.

The United Pangasinan-HK is also soliciting signatures for the petition letter
among migrants in Hong Kong.

All the petition letter will be delivered to the office of the Philippine
President and the Japanese Consulate here in Hong Kong. A similar copy will be
send to Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) in the Philippines for their
reference and coordination.

You can also deliver the same petition to Philippine and Japanese Embassies
and Consulates in your respective country.

For more information about the campaign, you can e-mail the undersigned and
Mr. Eman Villanueva, Secretary General of UNIFIL at secretariat at unifil.org.hk

Looking forward for your support.


Ramon Bultron
Managing Director
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrant Filipinos (APMMF)
E-mail: apmmf at hknet.com
===========================

Stop The San Roque Dam Project!
Let the Agno River Flow!
Fight for the Rights and Welfare of the Indigenous People and
the Filipino People in General!

"Land is life. If you take away the land, you take away our lives".

We Filipino migrant organizations, Institutions and advocates are one with the
thousands of affected families of Umbuclao, Itogon, San Nicolas and San Manuel
in their demand for the immediate stop and end to the construction of San
Roque Multi-Purpose Hydroelectric Dam Project!

This project like other dam projects in the Philippines was taunted with
deceptions, exploitations, destruction, loss of properties and most
importantly - lives of the people. It is presently recorded that already 10
persons loss their lives in the construction of this huge dam expected to be
one of the biggest in Asia.

The fact-finding mission conducted by 50 different indigenous and peoples
organizations and institutions late last year in an affidavit gathered from
the Camangaan Resettlement site, Bubon and the documented statements of 183
households in san Miguel and San Nicolas revealed that the National Power
Corporation (NPC) has failed to grant the project-affected persons (PAPS) the
compensations for the damaged and lost properties.

Many areas, especially San Manuel and San Nicholas in Pangasinan and Itogon
and Tuba in Benguet will expect long-reaching and disastrous effects because
of the construction of the dam. There will be inundation or serious flooding
of homes and agricultural lands. In other higher-lying areas the communities
will experience the effects of siltation from mining companies and erosion of
lands. Many will be displaced and as taught by their previous experiences,
compensation is just a dream and a wish that never comes true.

As migrant workers, we also aim for the betterment and development of our
country. But this development should not in any way sacrifice and endanger the
lives of our families and loved ones. We were forced to work abroad by the
condition of lack of decent job opportunities in our country and we made to
sacrifice the precious moment in our lives to be with our children and loved
ones in order to give them better future. And now, this future is not only
being threatened by the continuing economic and political crisis that beset
our country but more so by the threat of environmental and human destruction
by this monstrous dam project.

Like goods for export, migrant workers are treated the same. With this dam
project, we are forced to accept development with blood of our families and
loved ones flowing along the Agno river!

We urge President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately stop the construction
of San Roque Dam project. The "win-win formula" of your administration will
not benefit the people of the affected areas but rather put them in a more
miserable condition and loss of people's lives and properties.

We further demand the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIS) to stop
funding the dam construction and instead channel its funding to compensate the
victims of the San Roque Dam project.


Signed:
United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK) - Alliance of 24 Filipino Migrant
Organizations
United Pangasinan-HK  (Federation of 11 Towns in Pangasinan)
Cordillera Alliance and Abra Tinggian Ilocano Society (ATIS) - (Federation 24
Fil mig orgs.)
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrant Filipinos (APMMF)
Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers (MFMW)
Bethune House Migrant Women's Refuge
Association of Concerned Filipinos (ACFIL)
Pinatud A Saleng Ti Umili (PSU)
Friends of Bethune House (FBH)


*******************************************
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrant Filipinos (APMMF)
Address: No.4 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
Tel. no.: (852) 2723-7536
Fax no.: (852) 2735-4559
E-mail: apmmf at hknet.com
**********************************************


Support Statement on San Roque Dam Work Stoppage

We the undersigned Filipino migrant organizations and institutions based in
Hong Kong convey our warmest and militant support on the collective work
stoppage of San Roque Dam Workers. We support your demand for the
implementation of 30% wage hike, other labor related benefits and safe working
condition.

We also express our deepest condolences to the families of workers who died in
the San Roque Dam construction. Their death marks the genuine demands of
thousands of affected families of Umbuclao, Itogon, San Nicolas and San Manuel
for the immediate stop and end to the construction of the mega-dam.

Filipino Migrants in Hong Kong whose majority comes from the Northern part of
the Philippines are concerned about the destructive effects of the
construction of San Roque Dam in people's lives and properties.

The United Pangasinan HK together with United Filipinos in Hong Kong
(UNIFIL-HK), Cordillera Alliance and Abra Tinggian Ilocano Association (ATIS)
and other migrant organizations and institutions launched a campaign to stop
and end the San Roque Dam construction. A petition letter is being circulated
among migrants in Hong Kong and other activities are being planned to
encourage support and awareness among migrants and local Hong Kong
organizations. A similar activity is also being planned in other countries in
the Asia Pacific region.

Let us not allow these profit hungry contractors to exploit the San Roque Dam
Workers!
A collective militant action will surely end in a collective victory!
MABUHAY ANG MANGGAGAWA NG SAN ROQUE DAM!

May 2001

Signed:
United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK) **
United Pangasinan Hong Kong (UPHK) **
Abra Tinguian Ilocano Society (ATIS) **
Cordillera Alliance (CORALL) **
Association of Concerned Filipinos (ACFIL-HK)
Friends of Bethune House (FBH)
Filipino Friends in Hong Kong (FFHK)
Pinatud a Saleng ti Umili (PSU)
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrant Filipinos (APMMF)
Mission for Filipinos Migrant Workers (MFMW)


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The Secretariat
United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK)
2/F., New Hall, St. John's Cathedral,
Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR
Tel : (852) 2810-4379    Fax : (852) 2526-2894
E-mail: secretariat at unifil.org.hk
Website: http://www.unifil.org.hk
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