Ifugao pump project has no FPIC

ANOTHER National Irrigation Administration (NIA) project has been found to lack community consent.

The continuing construction of the Alfonso Lista Pump Irrigation Project (Alpip) in Ifugao has been called out by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for lacking free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).

NCIP Cordillera director Ronald Calde asked in a letter to the NIA Chief Ricardo Visaya “to suspend and hold in abeyance massive / large scale activities taking place therein while pending the issuance of the Certificate of Precondition (CP).”

The letter dated June 11, said it has come to the attention of the NCIP the project, while waiting for the issuance of a CP, earthmoving and construction was already taking place within the domain.

The P850-million project started 2012 is expected to be finished by 2020 and is locally funded irrigation project of NIA which seeks to provide water supply for irrigation to agricultural lands.

ALPIP will get a P 411 million budget for this year from the NIA and will draw water from the existing Magat reservoir in Cagayan Valley through the use of mechanical pumps, and provision tunneling irrigation facilities and irrigation structures.

At least 1,315 farmers will benefit from the irrigation with 2,300 hectares of farm land benefitting.

NIA only filed its application with NCIP-CAR on March 1, 2017.

Calde in his letter then assured NIA the ALPIP is a top priority of the agency and will not to cause the further delay of the CP.

Previously, the NCIP asked the NIA to temporarily suspend work for the P4.37 billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project (CRPIP) which also started construction despite lacking the CP.

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