The Kaliwa Dam Project violates legal processes and the Philippine constitution, is destructive to the environment, and is against the country's national interest.

With the increasing demand for water supply in Metro Manila, costly options appear to seemingly solve this concern. In fact, the 2019 "water crisis" was used to expedite and justify the Kaliwa Dam Project as the solution to such.We stand against the Kaliwa Dam Project because this project:

• will affect the ancestral forests where 5,000 Dumagat-Remontados reside in the Sierra Madre, and submerge at least 6 sacred sites;
• is being expedited by the railroading of its legal process, particularly the right of the Dumagat-Remontados to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent process under IPRA;
• will destroy the biodiversity and habitat of 126 species in 300 hectares of the Sierra Madre, submerge 291 hectares of forests, and endanger 100,000 residents downstream with the risk of massive flooding;
• will entail an unnecessary 10.37 billion-peso loan from China, further worsening our debt-ridden economy;
• will need every Filipino, including those outside Metro Manila, to shoulder the debt;
• faces a short lifespan of 5-6 years due to the high rate of sedimentation in the area;
• allows China to settle disputes on the project using their laws and on their territory;
• may cause our government to surrender Philippine territory to pay off the loan.

We thus call on President Marcos, Jr. and all government leaders to revoke the Kaliwa Dam Project - in this rapidly changing climate. We believe that this project will not address the problem but also make conditions worse for the Philippines. Alternative water solutions that are practical, long-term and more sustainable (e.g. watershed rehabilitation, repairing and improving existing dams and water distribution facilities, water conservation policies) have been offered by various experts. We urge the Philippine government to invest in these long-term, better solutions for all.

We, the Filipino people, say NO to Kaliwa Dam, and YES to better water solutions!

"Caring for ecosystems demands far-sightedness, since no one looking for quick and easy profit is truly interested in their preservation. But the cost of the damage caused by such selfish lack of concern is much greater than the economic benefits to be obtained." (Laudato Si, No. 36)

For further details, check the full copy of our petition here: bit.ly/stopkaliwadam