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ICCs/IPs Intervene in Public Hearing for NPC-Managed Mindanao Watersheds in their Ancestral Domains

Posted on July 20, 2016

BUHITA with FPE's legal team, Attys. Girlie de Guzman and Dan Valenzuela

The Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), along with its legal team and Mindanao-based partners, the 6 Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) Holders of the Ancestral Domain in the Province of Bukidnon–the  Bukidnon Umayamnon Tribe Kapoonan To Mga Datu (BUKDA),  Bukidnon-Higaonon Tribal Association (BUHITA), the Kalasungay Ancestral Domain Unified Members Association (KADUMA), the Daraghuyan Ancestral Domain, the Baleteon Ancestral Domain, and Bukidnon Tribe CADT–attended the National Power Corporation’s (NPC) Public Hearing for Plan 13, in the NPC-managed Pulangi and Lanao-Agus Watersheds, at the Xavier University Little Theater, Cagayan de Oro City last July 14, 2016.

BUHITA has been a partner of FPE since the early 2000s, is the owner of a 36,000-hectare ancestral domain, which is a portion of the Pulangi Watershed in Bukidnon. BUHITA, as co-petitioner of FPE, and with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), filed a petition for rule-making (ERC Case No. 2014-007 RM), that seeks to amend the current rules on the utilization of Universal Charge-Environmental Charge (UC-EC) to allow a mechanism for participation and access to the same for watershed rehabilitation and management.

Also in attendance during the hearing were representatives from the City of Iligan and the the Province of Lanao, who are “contemplating to file their motion for intervention, or as oppositors,” says FPE’s Ms. Liza Vida. FPE has co-intervened in two ERC hearings on UC-EC, and "As of this writing, BUHITA, BUKDA, BUGKALOT, Save Sierra Madre Network and FPE are intervenors, while the Province of Benguet, Province of Nueva Ecija and the Municipality of Itogon have [already] made manifestations  as oppositors to be able to file their comments," Vida adds.

The next public hearings will be on July 21, 2016, ERC Hearing Room, Pasig City, at 2 p.m., and August 4, 2016 in Lucena City, Quezon.