Ifugao tribal folk assert claim over Magat Dam

ALFONSO LISTA, Ifugao — In an Ifugao tribal ritual, local officials and villagers here renewed their claim on the Magat Dam complex, which is located mostly within the town’s territorial jurisdiction.

Ifugao Gov. Glenn Prudenciano said the event, dubbed "Ammung Ad Magat" or "Meeting at the Magat," was meant to show the unity of the Ifugaos in seeking help from Ifugao traditional gods to aid them in reasserting their right over the dam facilities.

Three pigs and five chickens were offered to the gods by several mumbakis or native priests.

"We are not trying to get what is not ours. We just want to reassert the fact that the main source of water in the dam comes from Ifugao and that we deserve a bigger share," said Prudenciano.

He added that his administration is now negotiating better terms with the Statkraft Norfund-Aboitiz Power Inc., (SNAP), the joint venture between the Aboitiz group and a Norwegian firm, which now owns the Magat Power Plant. The two companies also bought the dam’s power component from the national government for $540 million.

Prudenciano stressed that most of the Magat Dam’s facilities are located within this town, based on documents showing that the titled lands bought by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), which became part of the dam facilities, are registered in the Register of Deeds of Ifugao.

There were also documents proving that some parts of the Magat Dam complex, particularly its power plant and spillway, are located here, which Prudenciano said gives them the right to file a protest in case Isabela asserts its claim to all parts of the dam project.

Prudenciano, however, clarified that his administration will not yet do this so as not to hamper the operations of the new owner of the power plant.

Local officials have been expressing frustration over the non-remittance of franchise tax and real property tax by the National Power Corp. (NPC) to the province since 1992 when payment of said taxes should have started.

Earlier, Isabel Gov. Grace Padaca said that the two provincial governments had agreed to start talking to resolve the problem between the two provinces. — Charlie Lagasca