Bayan Muna Executive Vice President and former representative Carlos Zarate opposed the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board’s proposed addition of ₱1.3 billion fund for the construction of Kaliwa Dam.

He said the huge budget allocated for the project is unacceptable. “Amid severe economic problems, the NEDA Board allowed a project that will not only submerge the ancestral lands of our indigenous brothers and sisters but will also further drown the country in debt.”

Currently, the total project fund is ₱15.3 billion from the original ₱12.2 billion. The ₱12.2 billion fund was funded by Chinese loans in 2018.

The project was originally planned for construction from 2019 to 2022. It was extended until 2026 and said to start operation in 2027 as proposed by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to allow debt servicing and project implementation. It also requested permission to change the scope of the project.

Since the Duterte regime, this project has been promoted as “crucial to expand water sources and alleviate supply shortages particularly in Metro Manila, Rizal, and Cavite.” But Dumagat indigenous people and environmental groups said it will cause great damage to the mountains, forests, and even the nearby seas.

“A sustainable water source is undeniably needed but the project should not have a huge collateral damage,” Zarate said.

The Dumagat-Remontado indigenous people of Quezon and Rizal and environmental groups strongly oppose the Kaliwa Dam project because of its impact on the livelihood of residents, cultural heritage, and the forests of Sierra Madre. The project covers the ancestral lands of the indigenous people in the area. Residents said it will also destroy trees, deprive wildlife of habitat in the forest, and damage the crucial ecosystem.

The Communist Party of the Philippines strongly supports the people’s struggle against Kaliwa Dam.

“(It is a) huge financial burden on the Filipino people, and the main beneficiaries are only the private water concessionaires, who exploit the people through high fees,” Party chief information officer Marco Valbuena said. “With the approval of another round of loans for the Kaliwa Dam project, the Marcos regime sacrifices the welfare of the Filipino people in the name of profits for big capitalists and foreign financial companies.”