Environmental activist group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) today called for an immediate investigation into the recent arrest of Daisy Macapanpan, a prominent environmental defender in Pakil, Laguna, for protesting the construction of the Ahunan Pumped-Storage Hydropower Project.
“The arrest of Daisy Macapanpan, reeks of many irregularities. Why send around 40 members of the Special Action Force to arrest a 68 year-old woman? That’s overkill. This is a clear reprisal against her for standing up against a potentially destructive dam project,” said Leon Dulce, national coordinator for Kalikasan PNE.
In a video uploaded on Facebook by user Ace Gonzales, Macapanan is seen to be violently apprehended by several men in full battle gear after she delivered her speech on the destructive impacts of the project on the local ecosystems and the area’s cultural value.
Kalikasan PNE noted from reports from its networks that the warrant of arrest used is highly questionable, based on a rebellion case filed in 2008 for a rebellion case. It urged Pakil Mayor Vicente Soriano, who condemned the arrest, to investigate the incident, having jurisdiction over the Police.
“We urge Mayor Soriano to recall the arrest, having direct supervisory powers over the Pakil Police. He knows that the arrest is highly questionable and should not hide behind the complications of the law. He knows that Daisy did nothing but exercise her rights as a resident of Pakil to air her convictions over the Ahunan project,” said Dulce.
The project will be constructed at Mt. Inumpog, at the Sierra Madre mountain range covered by Pakil, Laguna. The biodiverse area also has water resources flowing from the Dakil river ecosystems, including the Sirena Falls.
Ahunan Power Inc., the joint venture of tycoon Enrique Razon’s Prime Metro Power Holdings Corp. and JBD Water Power Inc. are one of the proponents of the hydropower project, which will affect around 299 hectares of land.
Among the hydrological risks assessed by Ahunan Power Inc. include flooding brought by larger typhoons in floodplains along the shores of Laguna de Bay. The project is also located in a region characterized by moderate to high seismicity with active faults and subduction zones within a 150-km radius of the site, where a mapped risk of landslides is high.
“There is nothing wrong with airing disapproval and explaining opinions on why the Ahunan Hydropower Project should be shelved. The purpose of such discussions that locals have is to raise awareness and discourse over the matter at hand. Is there something that the proponents are trying to hide that Daisy has probably discovered,” ended Dulce.#
