Position paper on Metro Baguio’s water crisis

WATER FOR THE PEOPLE!

For several years now, the people of Baguio City have been grappling with the problem of chronic water crisis. At present, the daily supply of Baguio Water District (BWD) falls short by more than 50,000 cubic meters. With the rapid urbanization of the city, the BWD has to resolve this problem and prepare for the projected 112,000 cubic meters daily demand within the next five years.

Thus, the Bulk Water Supply Project was conceived. This project refers to the tapping of water sources outside Baguio by a private water delivery firm which then delivers potable water to the city in large quantity. BWD embarked on this project as early as 1997 with a public bidding, but later failed due to insufficient water sources of interested firms. Then in December 2003, the BWD re-opened the bidding for its bulk water supply project.

After evaluating the papers of the bidders, the BWD’s Pre-Qualification Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC) declared in July 2004, that the project’s remaining bidder, Benguet Corporation (BC) failed to fulfill the requirements of the bidding. This decision of the BWD was then followed by conflicting reports and reactions from Baguio’s residents who read and/or heard about it.

Why did BWD deny the bid of Benguet Corporation? Where can we source the needed water? How can we resolve this water crisis?

It is publicly known that Benguet Corporation’s sources of water for the bulk water project are under question. Its water reservoir in Antamok is an open pit mining site which BC exploited in its more than 100 years of mining operation within indigenous people’s lands in Benguet.

After its bankruptcy and unproductive mining operation due to strong people’s opposition in Itogon, BC ventured into water privatization even before the bulk water project bidding was re-opened. However, BWD’s PBAC evaluation indicated the presence of lead, cadmium and mercury in BC’s raw water from the open-pit site where BC’s mining activities already polluted the water.

The water permits of Benguet Corporation do not also have necessary documents regarding the conduct of consultations with affected residents. To date, BC holds a total of 58 water permits located in Itogon, Tuba and even in 3 areas of Baguio; the Irisan/Iliw River (with permit number 18106), VOA Spring1 (11867) and VOA Spring 2 (11046).

On these grounds, we oppose Benguet Corporation’s attempt to monopolize indigenous water sources and decry its deceptive public statements as to the quality and viability of its water sources. We believe that BWD did what is appropriate in this particular case.

However, BWD has to secure Baguio’s water requirements. It has to rehabilitate remaining water sources, complete its pipe-laying efforts to cater to other areas and explore possible water sources within the city, as long as tapping these water sources will not be in conflict with the present household use in these areas.
We should also maximize the available water sources at Camp John Hay, which counts up to 21 springs. In our effort to provide adequate water supply to the general public, John Hay should discard its exclusion policy of denying access to its water sources. These should be made available to the wider public. It should open its water sources to BWD for public consumption.

We deem that BWD should first explore other water sources in Baguio. However, if these sources are not sufficient, BWD can also explore in the adjacent municipalities but it must secure the prior rights of source communities to their water.

We urge all officials of the BLIST area to find feasible means to resolve this problem. Baguio strategically lies in the center of urban activities and any problem within the city would definitely affect adjacent municipalities.

Lastly, we have to recognize that the right to clean, safe and potable water is a basic human right. Its control should lie solely with the people through their local water districts. Any entity with pecuniary interest trying to control precious water sources as in the case of Benguet Corporation, Camp John Hay or the privatization of Baguio Water District should be opposed.

With the intense disputes over private ownership of water sources in Metro-Baguio amid the persistent water crisis in the city, we say that water is for the people, and not for a few corporate interests out to make huge profits at the expense of thousands of consumers!

Metro-Baguio PRO-CONSUMERS (Promotion of Consumers’ Survival and Economic Rights)
Tongtongan Ti Umili-Cordillera Peoples Alliance
September 30, 2004