Angat Hydropower Corp. (AHC) and Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-Water) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Dumagats tribe following the consent secured from the indigenous peoples (IPs), the National Power Corporation (Napocor) said.
AHC, co-owned by San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) subsidiary SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. and K-Water is set to start constructing the P1-billion Angat Dam rehabilitation project next month.
“[This] marks the culmination of the full circle of Free and Prior Informed Consultation (FPIC) of the National Commission of Indigeneous People (NCIP), a process required before the start of project construction scheduled this September by the private corporation Angat Hydro Corp. (AHC),” Napocor president Gladys Sta. Rita said.
The Dumagats were represented by tribal governor Salvador Cruz and tribal vice governor Norma Roque. Under the MOA, 15 Dumagat families will be relocated and will be provided houses, while the Dumagat community will be given livelihood programs by the AHC, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) and Napocor.
AHC has chosen US-based Poyry for consultancy services on the rehabilitation project to enable the dam to withstand a 7.2-magnitude earthquake. It has previously gotten an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in June, and completed pre-construction works in July.
SMC and K-Water have partnered to rehabilitate the Angat Dam, as well as the 218-megawatt Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant (AHPP) in Bulacan last year. This is under the Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening Project, which covers the upgrade of the Flood Forecasting and Warning System for Dam Operation.
Napocor has also signed a MOA with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for a P237.16-milllion transfer for the project.
MWSS sources 97 percent of its water supply from Angat Dam and delivers it to Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, and part of Rizal. The dam also irrigates an estimated 27, 000 hectares of rice fields in Bulacan and Pampanga, and generates 246 megawatts of electricity.