BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) - - An Intake Weir of the Casecnan Multi-Purpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP) in barangay Pelaway in Alfonso Castaneda town suffered damages during the onslaught of typhoon ‘Karding’.
Lt. Colonel Gil Ileto, commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 84th Infantry Batallion, 7th Infantry Division based in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija in a letter to Governor Carlos Padilla said the CMIPP’s Intake Weir sustained damages due to overtopping and overflow of water and debris brought by the typhoon.
He said the maintenance technicians of SOOSAN ENS, a CMIPP contractor were blocked by a barricading protesters composed of the Bugkalot tribe and reinforced by their tribal community.
“The SOOSAN ENS technicians are doing maintenance and operations at the CMIPP facility in barangay Pelaway. The technicians were not able to gain entry to the facility during the onslaught of typhoon ‘Karding’,” Ileto said.
He feared that although the water has subsided, a similar situation in the future without the facility technicians inside who are supposed to operate the opening of the Intake Weir gates will lead to more damages to the dam and may even lead to its destruction and loss of lives especially to the communities downstream.
Ileto also asked Governor Carlos Padilla, chairman of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) to elevate the concern at the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC).
He said all possible solutions and negotiations with the Bugkalot community to allow the entry of SOOSAN ENS contractor’s technicians have been exhausted.
Governor Padilla recently convened the PPOC and formed a Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of government agencies and civil society organizations to gather information and make recommendation on the concern as soon as possible.
“We are also elevating this matter to President Ferdinand Marcos,Jr. with the attachment of pertinent documents for the immediate resolution of this peace and order concern of our province and our neighboring provinces,” he said. (BME/PIA NVizcaya)
