Thursday, January 24, 2008

Lumads up against HEDCOR’s hydropower plant

Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur—Bagobo-Tagabawa lumads are opposing the ongoing construction of the Tudaya hydro power plant, the biggest investment of the Hydro Electric Development Corporation (HEDCOR) which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Equity Ventures.
“HEDCOR is in clear violation of our rights as indigenous peoples who have the inherent rights to our ancestral lands. There was no genuine consultation nor was there any genuine consent from the Tagabawa lumads as claimed by HEDCOR. If they claim to hold any proof, it was deceptively taken,” said Roger Limukon, chairperson of the Sinubadan Lumad Bagobo Mekatanod (SILUBAME).
SILUBAME, a local lumad organization that was formally convened on January 3, 2008, is a united effort of the Tagabawa lumads in Tudaya, Brgy. Sibulan Sta. Cruz who strongly oppose the HEDCOR hydropower plant which started their full-blown implementation this year. It represents their united stand on the defense of their ancestral domain, including the sacred Tudaya falls where they launched their rituals and now where hydropower plant is currently being built. (Press release by PASAKA, Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao)

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