IBON Features Vol. XI No. 4 

In a sleepy coastal town bounded by Lingayen Gulf and consecutive rows of mountain ranges in La Union, Manong Jaime goes to the river everyday to catch some fish and gather some native shellfish called unnok for lunch and supper.

Many of the other residents also rely on the river and the sea for their livelihood and subsistence. One day, much to Manong Jaime’s and the townsfolk’s surprise, fish pens began sprouting along the expanse of the wide river. The fish are already disappearing inside the fish cages so there were very little fish and shellfish to catch where there used to be plenty for everyone.

Upon learning that a local businessman owns the entirety of those fish pens, some affected and concerned citizens petitioned the mayor to remove the fish pens. They asserted that the residents were losing their livelihood and the waters were already contaminated because of fish feeds being deposited in the river. It was as if the silted other half of the river and the gravel quarry upstream were not yet enough blows to them.

Meanwhile, Benget Corporation (BC) virtually won its bid to become a support supplier of water to Baguio and neighboring areas. Amid controversies, the Board of Directors of the Baguio Water District upheld BC’s legitimacy to source water from the watersheds of Itogon and store this in its reservoir that used to be an open pit mine. The Board’s pre-qualification bids and awards committee (PBAC) already disqualified BC because of questionable traces of lead, cadmium and magnesium in its potential reservoir. The president of BC asserted that the abandoned Antamok mine is safe and suitable to hold potable water.

These are the conditions of downstream Aringay River and Baguio Water District, respectively These are just two among the many challenges that people from Northern Luzon – Cagayan, Ilocos, and the Cordilleras – face amid the nationwide alarm over apparent water crises. In this light, several groups have united to start the campaign in addressing pressing water problems and fighting against looming privatization of the water sector all over the country.

The first Water for the People Northern Luzon Convention in La Trinidad, Benguet bared the deteriorating condition of the region’s water supply and distribution. Despite abundant natural sources of water like rivers, lakes, vastness of South China Sea and Lingayen Gulf and the watersheds of Cordillera and Cagayan, Northern Luzon still finds itself confronting numerous water-related problems.

Water woes everywhere

In the province of La Union, for instance, bodies of water are used for extensive aquaculture practices like propagation and raising of bangus, tilapia, shrimp, catfish, mudfish and oysters. In fact, La Union has the most number of fishponds in the whole Ilocos region aside from the number of fish pens and cages dotting its water resources. Local government units lease out a portion of these waters to those who have means to pay as part of their revenue generation.

Mining operations of Lepanto Consolidated are reportedly coursing their mine tailings through upland rivers first before impounding these in its tailing dams, thus, polluting the surface waters with toxic concentrations of dissolved heavy metals, mercury, cyanide and arsenic. These mine tailings from the Cordilleras also pose great danger to Lingayen Gulf, the major fishing ground for La Union fisherfolk. Bued River has also become the drainage of mine tailings from Benguet Exploration and Black mountain mining activities. Agno and Abra rivers are also polluted by toxic mine tailings from dams constructed on these two rivers.

Northern Luzon also faces problems of logging and denuded forests. Intensive logging in Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera has destroyed forests and watersheds. This practice, sometimes done in relation to mining activities, caused siltation in Agno, Abra and Rio Grande de Cagayan rivers.

Industrial wastes from factories and power plants in Sual, Pangasinan and Bauang, La Union are two major polluters of the Lingayen Gulf. An oil spill from the Bauang Power Corporation in 1995 poisoned marine organisms and livestock and adversely affected the health of individuals leaving near the plant.

Moreover, pollution from improper waste and sewer disposal, harmful farming pesticides and fertilizers, and household domestic wastes contribute to the pollution of both surface and groundwater in the region. It was even reported that the coastal waters of Bauang and San Fernando in La Union are positive of coliform bacteria.

Water pollution in Cordillera, meanwhile, is caused by ground seepage of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide residues in vast vegetable farms and urban household and industrial wastes. The chemicals do not only pollute water surfaces but also leach into ground water sources causing a high incidence of stomach ulcers and even stomach cancer among central and northwestern Benguet’s farming households

A glass of water

There are a number of water districts servicing the potable water needs of these three regions. However, limited access or no access at all, still haunts majority of the residents in Northern Luzon, especially those living far from the urban centers. Water is increasingly seen as a commodity for sale.

Privatization of water districts has increasingly been the trend for water utilities as dictated by the government in connivance with international lending institutions such as World Bank and the Japan Bank of International cooperation. Many of the Northern Luzon’s water districts provide water services only to a limited area due to lack of funds to expand operations. And as in the case of other water districts in the country, moves to eventually privatize them have manifested. The Metro La Union Water District (MLUWD) for instance, is set to be taken over by the provincial government reportedly due to inept water services. A technical assistance grant worth $74,000 from the World Bank would only be awarded to the provincial government if it would comply with World Bank terms of water service privatization.

In coastal areas, scarcity of potable water supply is caused by saltwater intrusion in the water table. This becomes more evident during the summer months. Since the earthquake in 1990, what used to be sources of clean water have become murky and reek of sulphur fumes. Residents resort to buying their water from private entities. Establishments where water is sold, oftentimes at a very high price, have increasingly emerged in the whole region. Worse, there are no specific actions to monitor the quality and safety of the water that is being sold.

The rapid destruction of forests and watersheds in the Cordilleras and Cagayan Valley also causes the insufficiency of clean water for domestic use. Some watersheds like Mount Data and Ampusongan in Cordillera are only partially reforested. Groundwater recharge is said to be no longer optimal while springs have already been maximized.

Meanwhile, farmers in the area have a hard time getting water for their crops especially during the dry season. This is because even with a large potential irrigable area, only a small portion is actually irrigated. In the case of Ilocos region, communal irrigation systems irrigate more areas than the government agency, National Irrigation Authority does. Still, it is not enough. And as if to make matters worse, NIA charges exorbitant irrigation fees for its services.

Cry up north – Water for the people!

The natural abundance of water in Northern Luzon has been overtaken by rapid privatization of natural sources and water utilities, exploitation by large profit-seeking companies, and pollution-creating practices of industries. The Philippines, in fact, has all the richness that a landlocked country will only hope to have. Still, the farmers do not have enough for their crops, the marginalized fishermen cannot fish anymore in what used to be communal fishing grounds, and the people do not have enough water to drink.

Sadly, it is largely the product of unjust distribution of natural wealth, misplaced priorities, and self-serving interests. The condition is indeed critical. But unless the present administration recognizes that water should be available to everybody and not just to those who can afford to pay, the apparent dearth of water for the people will continue to plague the nation. IBON Features