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Gov’t aid to save Cordi waters urged

BAGUIO CITY (Apr. 15) – The character of the Cordillera region as a watershed cradle should be maintained. Any development plan should support this concept. Programs contrary to this should be studied and must not be enforced.

Presidential Assistant for the Cordilleras Thomas Killip shared the said information in a recent talk with media groups in the city on Wednesday, April 13.

Killip said that the Cordillera rivers are the source of water for agricultural irrigation and domestic use among the low lying communities in the Ilocos and Cagayan regions, including Central Luzon. NORDIS learned that these rivers are also a potential for hydropower, transportation, and eco-tourism purposes.

Killip identified the following as major rivers in the Cordillera: the Abra River whose headwaters originate from Mt. Data of Mt. Province and Mankayan, Benguet; Apayao-Abulog, Cabicungan, and Zamigai-Ziwanan Rivers whose headwaters originates the province of Apayao; the Agno River whose headwaters come from Bauko, Mt. Province; the Amburayan, Naguilan, and Aringay Rivers whose water sources originate from Benguet; the Bued River whose water sources originate from Baguio City and Benguet; the Chico River whose water sources start from Bauko, Mt. Province; the Magat River whose source of headwaters is in Ifugao; Siffu-Mallig river whose source of headwater is Ifugao and Mt. Province; and Silag whose headwaters originate from Abra province.

The drainage of these 13 rivers total to 1,809,608 hectares.

He pointed out that with the Cordillera’s role as a watershed cradle, a significant number of provinces benefit from these rivers. And in return, they should support this concept of maintaining the forest. Such will ensure the water needs, including irrigation for the agricultural of the people whose livelihood is mainly dependent on agriculture, Killip said.

These major water systems are maintained primarily due to the indigenous forest management systems still practiced by indigenous communities. However, Killip claimed that the planting of appropriate tree species for maintaining the watershed character of the region should be adopted.

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) and other environmental groups observed that some of the Cordillera rivers are quickly deteriorating allegedly due to legalized logging and the mine wastes dumped by mining corporations into these rivers. The Cordillera has been a logging resource base by the government after World War II where 80% of the production were exported to Japan, revealed the studies of the Cordillera Schools Group (CSG).

The CPA added that logging companies can easily runaway from their environmental corporate liabilities due to lax implementation and monitoring of environmental laws.

The maintenance of the above system is everybody’s concern, added Killip, whose office was established October last year. Earlier the office of the presidential assistance covered Northern Luzon but was re-adjusted to have one office per region.

His office plans to dialogue with the Cordillera congressmen, including those from the Ilocos and Cagayan regions to encourage them to adopt a legislation that would maintain and ensure the watershed character of the region. Advocacy is important component of this program, he added. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS

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