BOKOD, Benguet – The IPEACE Epanaw Party-list group hailed the decision of the management of SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) Benguet and the indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples (ICCs-IPs) for entering into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the continuous operation of the 105-megawatt Ambuclao dam and the 126-megawatt Binga dam within the ancestral domains of the IPs.
Former regional director lawyer Marlon Bosantog of the Cordillera office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP-CAR) stated that IPs should continue to fight for their rights over their ancestral domain to ensure that the present and future generations of inhabitants will be able to enjoy the fruits of regulated developments that will be undertaken in partnership with interested individuals and companies.
He pointed out that the recent developments in Benguet where a number of power generation companies secured the free and prior informed consent of the IPs hosting their operations upon his initiative when he was the NCIP-CAR regional director only proves that due recognition should be given to the IPs who were able to preserve and protect their ancestral domain over the past several decades and that whatever development that will be undertaken should be done with their consent.
The IPEACE Epanaw Party-list is listed as No. 171 in the order of party-list organizations aspiring for the available seats in the House of Representatives during the upcoming May 9, 2022 synchronized national and local elections.
Bosantog pointed out that the primary objective of the party-list group is to help the IPs advance their rights over their ancestral domain and prevent the abuses against them which had been committed in the past and that the same should not be repeated because the IP have already been empowered by law to assert their rights.
Earlier, Renewable energy solutions provider SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet (SNAP-Benguet) signed partnerships with its host communities and indigenous peoples organizations (IPO) for community development projects through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund.
The signing of the Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) on February 8, 2022, benefited the barangays of Ambuklao, Tikey, and Tinongdan, as well as the municipalities of Bokod and Itogon, the provincial government of Benguet, Shakilan Ni Ikulos-Indigenous Peoples Organization (SNI-IPO) of Bokod, and Tinongdan Indigenous Peoples Organization (TINPO) which host the Ambuklao and Binga hydroelectric power plants of SNAP-Benguet.
The agreements cover projects such as the purchase of school supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies, and provision of rice subsidy for barangay Ambuklao; construction of barangay sub-clinic, and improvement of Phase II irrigation system in barangay Tikey; assistance and maintenance of temporary treatment facility, refurbishment of barangay health clinics, and establishment of a barangay database system for barangay Tinongdan; and purchase of a lot for the engineered sanitary landfill in the municipality of Bokod; improvement of Malasin Isolation Facility III in the municipality of Itogon. Meanwhile, SNI-IPO inked an agreement on projects for culture preservation, the establishment of a nursery, provision of food supplement and vitamins for IPs, procurement of four coffee pulpers, and improvement of the water system; while TINPO’s projects are the establishment of demo farm, COVID preventive programs, financial support to IPs, and the provision of transport service. SNAP-Benguet has allocated Php1.5 million for each recipient.
Meanwhile, the provincial government of Benguet’s province-wide projects for the acquisition of equipment and medical supplies for COVID-19 are valued at PHP4 million, with CSR funds coming from Ambuklao and Binga hydro facilities.
Melchor Diclas, Governor of Benguet, thanked SNAP and emphasized the significance to the province of the programs supported by the company through its CSR funds. He stated that SNAP assisted them in easing the burden of obtaining PPE for the frontliners at the time when it was most needed.
Mayor Victorio Palangdan of Itogon, Mayor Thomas Wales, Jr. of Bokod, barangay captains Monroe Galasgas, Miguel Cosalan, and Edwin Atompag of Ambuklao, Tikey, and Tinongdan, respectively, as well as SNI-IPO Chieftain Julian Delico and TINPO Norberto Pacio, expressed their appreciation for the developments brought about by SNAP operations in their community.
SNAP President and CEO Joseph Yu responded, saying, “SNAP is committed to the development of our host communities, and we are working together to address our shared concerns through the company’s CSR program.”
In compliance with COVID safety protocols, all MOAs were signed at the recipients’ respective office compounds.
Since the pandemic last year, SNAP-Benguet’s host communities have benefitted from 28 projects totaling Php14.5 million through the CSR Fund.