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Sunday, June 25, 2006
Senator hits disposal of watershed lots
SENATOR Pilar Juliana Cayetano said it is not rightful for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to sell any part of the La Mesa Dam watershed.
Cayetano, chairperson of the Senate environment committee, said the MWSS' mandate is to ensure that water supply is delivered to the public and part of which is protecting the 2,700-hectare watershed and the man-made lake.
"I agree with what (Environment) Secretary (Angelo) Reyes said that they (MWSS) have the title but they are just the caretakers of the watershed and it is not its duty to sell it for other reasons. The sole reason this is titled to MWSS is to protect the watershed," she said.
To stop the MWSS from selling portions of the watershed, Cayetano wants the MWSS title annotated to ensure so that its usage would be restricted only for watershed protection so it cannot be sold.
She also said this is provided under Presidential Decree (PD) 705 or the Revised Forestry Code, which says that any title can be rescinded, amended or cancelled if there is a forestland or natural park situated within the parcel of land.
"I think the title of MWSS should be annotated accordingly so that no land should be disposed of henceforth. And if it's necessary to rescind the tile, then that may have to happen in order to protect our watershed," Cayetano explained.
Last February 2006, the MWSS sold 58 hectares of the watershed to retired MWSS employees led by Genaro Bautista at P3 million. The government-owned-and-controlled corporation has also sold a three-hectare portion of the watershed, just below the man-made lake, for its current officials and employees.
The housing project for retired workers, where there are over 1,400 beneficiaries, is opposed by environmental groups and non-government organizations (NGOs) led by Bantay Kalikasan since it poses a threat of contamination of the La Mesa Dam where four million Metro Manila residents and people from Rizal province source their potable water through the Manila Water Company.
Maynilad Water Services, on the other hand, gets it water from Angat Dam in Bulacan. La Mesa Dam also gets its water from Angat.
There were no construction activities in the 58-hectare housing site since it has no environmental compliance certificate (ECC) yet while there are a number of houses already completed in the three-hectare housing site whose effluents would not drain into the dam because of its location.
Bautista, president of the Kaisahan at Kapatiran ng mga Manggagawa at Kawani sa Nawasa, has said they are willing to be relocated outside the watershed but it should be within Quezon City. The MWSS will look for a parcel of land to house them.
Reyes, meanwhile, promised Cayetano's committee and the oversight committee on clean water of the House of Representatives hearing the housing projects at the La Mesa Dam watershed that they would be able to complete their investigation if the projects are feasible within the watershed in a month. (REC/Sunnex)
(June 25, 2006 issue)
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