Kaliwa Low Dam

Various plans for the construction of a dam in Tanay, Rizal, have been proposed since the 1970s, when the Marcos government first decided that the location was a more viable location for a dam than the Marikina River. However, protests against the construction of the dam, called Laiban because Barangay Laiban was chosen as the exact project site, very quickly led to protests from various groups. Foremost among these were Indigenous peoples from Central and Southern Luzon, notably the local Remontado Dumagat people, whose ancestral lands would specifically be affected. Environmental and activist groups later also raised concerns. As a result, construction of the dam has been approved, deferred, stopped, and restarted a number of times in the decades since. ==Project approval process==

Original proposal, including Laiban Dam and Power Plant The roots of the current "New Centennial Water Source Project" can be traced to the Water Security Legacy (WSL) Roadmap proposed by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in 2012–2016. Based on this document, the MWSS developed plans for "the development of a dam at the Kaliwa River (Laiban Dam), and/or a smaller dam downstream (Kaliwa Low Dam) to maximize water supply, ensure short - and long - term redundancy, and optimize power generation capacities," and in February 2013, the Public Private Partnership Center released a document "sounding out" interested parties. In that initial market sounding, this proposal was already thought likely to comprise: When the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) had their October 4, 2013, Joint Cabinet Committee and Technical Board Meeting, however, they suggested that the MWSS to develop the project in stages, allowing for construction on the Kaliwa Low Dam to begin sooner, and for the Laiban Dam components of the project to be funded under a different financial mechanism. Project financing The original integrated project had been proposed by the MWSS under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) financing scheme. When the Joint Cabinet Committee and Technical Board Meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) discussed the project on 4 October 2013, however, they recommended that the MWSS resubmit its proposal with only the Kaliwa Low Dam and water supply tunnel components, and that it be funded using the MWSS' funds or though overseas development assistance. On July 28, 2014, President Aquino cited Kaliwa dam in his 5th State of the Nation Address as one of the infrastructure projects approved by his administration as part of its drought prevention efforts. In 2015, two consortia were pre-qualified to bid for the undertaking of the Kaliwa Dam project — the SMC-K Water Consortium, which is a partnership between San Miguel Holdings Corp. and Korea Water Resources Corp.; and the Abeima-Datem Consortium, which is a partnership between Albeinsa Infraestructura Medio Ambiento S.A and Datem Inc. Some lawyers noted that the interest rate of the Chinese deal was 2%, while the Japanese deal that was sidelined by the government only had a 1.25% interest. The Japanese have since renewed their call for the Philippine government to reconsider their proposal. == Social and environmental concerns ==

Social issues Ancestral lands belonging to Indigenous Dumagats and Remontados will be affected by the Kaliwa Dam project. The coalition Sectors Opposed to the Kaliwa Dam (STOP Kaliwa Dam) estimate that 1,000 households from Barangay Daraitan in Tanay, Rizal, and 500 households in Pagsangahan, General Nakar, Quezon, will be inundated by the construction. The Samahan ng mga Katutubong Agta/Dumagat (Organization of Indigenous Agta/Dumagat) estimate that the project would displace 10,000 members of the Dumagat tribe. Protesters have maintained that Indigenous communities that will be affected by the project were not consulted. Philippine law requires that such projects acquire free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) from Indigenous communities. Environmental issues Sierra Madre is one of the most biodiverse areas in the Philippines and the largest remaining rainforest in the country. An estimated 12,147 hectares of residual forests, home to 172 recorded plant or flora species will be affected by the dam construction. Proclamation 1636 declared a portion of the area a National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. Among the thousands of plant and animal life whose home will be destroyed by the project is the critically endangered Philippine eagle. Other species that will be affected by the project are the endangered north Philippine hawk-eagle, the Philippine brown deer, the Philippine warty pig, and the vulnerable northern rufous hornbill. == See also ==