I am Joseph Jr. L. Cas from 1CE-A studying at URS Morong Campus.

The construction of Kaliwa Dam is part of the new NCWS (National Centennial Water
Resource) project. This project is part of the former administration under the Build Build Build project.
It is recorded that the Philippines owed China two hundred and thirty-five million pesos for the launch
of this project. Due to the lack of water supply on the major part of metro manila, the Kaliwa Dam will
serve as a new source of water supply that is expected to deliver 600 million liters of daily water
supply to the areas that will be served by the MWSS. The water will pass through a 27.70-kilometer
waterway (tunnel) from Kaliwa river (tunnel intake area) to Teresa, Rizal (tunnel outlet area).
Despite of the expected promising outcome of the construction of Kaliwa Dam, it is also
expected that it will cause a large impact on the area affected by its construction, some of the
possible effects are;
 This project will affect the ancestral domains where 5,000 Dumagat-Remontados are situated.
 300 hectares of forested area in the Sierra Madre will be permanently flooded.
 At least 100,000 lives will be put at risk with increased chances of heavy flooding in the
downstream areas.
And most importantly, and the main the reason of this advocacy is the;
 Possible loss of biodiversity and habitat of 126 species of fauna including (Tokay Gecko,
Philippine Cobra, Philippine Palm Civet)
 Furthermore, including the Philippine eagle being endangered.
 And the direct impact and threat in at least 96 endemic species like (Luzon fanged frog,
common puddle frog, spotted wood kingfisher)
Some experts introduce alternative ways rather than pursuing the Kaliwa Dam Project, and
some of these alternative ways are;
 Water shed rehabilitation
 Repairing and improving existing dams and water distribution facilities
 Water conservation policies
As stated by (Laudato, Si), "Caring for ecosystems demands far-sightedness, since no one
looking for quick and easy profit is truly interested in their preservation. But the cost of the damage
caused by such selfish lack of concern is much greater than the economic benefits to be obtained."
Hence, I am here to express my standpoint as I believe that this project (Kaliwa dam) will not
only fail to address the issue but will actually worsen the situation for those who will be most
negatively impacted.
Sacrificing the lives of many for the benefits of other isn’t a good thing to do. If we ever want to
do something, we should do it for the betterment of everyone.
That’s all for me in this video, hope you learned new today, kindly express your opinion on the
comment section about how important is the conservation of biodiversity. Thank you!!!