By MAGGIE I. JARUZEL
Norma Comiles Mo-oy knows the cost of civic involvement. The petite Filipino grandmother has been called names publicly, harassed by government officials and threatened with physical violence.
Still, she raises her voice for the rights of the rural poor who have been adversely affected by one of the largest dam projects in Asia. By coordinating local and national protests, talking candidly with media, and participating in government meetings at home and abroad, Mo-oy has raised awareness and generated positive results.
“I’m proud that I know what the issues are in my country,” said Mo-oy, 53, of Itogon, a municipality in Benguet province. “I am a farmer, but I’ve been reading and researching so I can be informed and inform others.”
Like previous generations of Filipinos, Mo-oy and others built their lives around the Agno River, which supports fishing, gold panning, and rice and other crop farming. But when they were forced to move from their ancestral land so the San Roque Dam could be built, many people were given little or no compensation, she said.
Her persistent opposition to a project touted by elected officials as a positive national development often prompted public ridicule.
But Mo-oy says her actions resulted in benefits for farmers and fishermen. Some were relocated to new homes, others have received money, and gold panners recently were added to the list of professions that should be compensated.
As a member of the Ibaloy tribe, Mo-oy was sensitive to the special needs of indigenous people. She worked with nonprofit leaders to ensure that printed materials for future projects financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) be written in the language of the local people so they can understand the documents they are asked to sign.
One of the most satisfying outcomes for her has been to watch fellow Filipinos become active in civic affairs. She said people who previously shied away from attending public meetings and talking with elected officials have learned the power of fully engaging in the democratic process.
As for Mo-oy, her life changed dramatically when she joined a nonprofit group called Cordillera People’s Alliance almost a decade ago. She was catapulted from rice farmer to community spokeswoman. She has twice left home and boarded a plane for Tokyo, Japan, to talk with international financial experts at JBIC, describing for them the devastating effects of the dam project on the people of the Philippines.
Today, the mother of six grown children talks with authority about minute financing details of the project. She is well versed on a variety of environmental and social problems associated with the $1.19-billion project, which is a partnership between the for-profit San Roque Power Corporation and the Philippine government’s National Power Corporation.
Mo-oy said the dam, completed in 2003, has created ongoing hardships for thousands of residents in the Pangasinan and Benguet provinces, so her work continues. For example, water is now collected and periodically released in large volumes instead of flowing naturally, causing the region to experience unprecedented flooding.
“From the beginning, we knew we would be affected negatively by the dam project,” Mo-oy said.
“I stuck with my principles and fought it. I will keep fighting until the dam is decommissioned because I am fighting for the next generation.”
Additional Resource
Read related articles in Mott Mosaic about lessons learned by three grantees working in Japan in the area of international finance reform.