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Lake People, the Maranao, Stand Up to Protect Lake Lanao
By Ellen Red

Continued from page 2

For RCAPP, the group staged a peace rally last August in Marawi City. In its position paper, RCAPP is specifically calling the NPC to "comply strictly with the 23 terms and conditions" of the ECC, including the irrigation needs of the farmers, compensation of damages under the environmental guarantee fund and installation of safety measures to prevent waterborne diseases in the lake.

Also, RCAPP calls for the "share to the Maranaos the power revenues" generated by the hydroelectric power plants for livelihood, infrastructure and social services.

Ms. Lucman told Inside Mindanao, "As stewards of mother nature, we have to stand up and we have to invite our people to stand up with us in protecting, conserving, and even developing Lake Lanao."

These conservation and protection efforts are needed, she said, as there are many problems encountered at the lake, such as the "very green" color in some areas of Lake Lanao which stop some people from drinking it, from taking a bath or even eating the fish that are derived from the lake.

In a document "Covenant for the Preservation and Conservation of Lake Lanao", PMWC said, "This historical nature's gift of God (Lake Lanao) is confronted with myriad of problems caused by human negligence, agricultural and industrial pollutants compounded by unabated illegal logging activities, poor implementation of the Environmental Clearance Certificate issued by the DENR to NAPOCOR (otherwise known as NPC) and the absence of policies and programs to address the sustainable management of the lake."

Thus, PMWC called on NPC "to continuously implement the ECC issued for the seven Agus Grid Systems and devise more environment-friendly technology in the implementation of Agus 3 Project." PMWC also called the government for the creation of the Lake Lanao Development Authority (LLDA) for sustainable use and management of the lake.

In his message for the 2-day Conference-Workshop on Environmental Conservation, Pasayud Macarambon, vice president of Mindanao Generation of NPC, said, "The PMWC's aspiration of the full institutional development of the Lake Lanao Watershed Protection and Development Council (LLWPDC) to Lake Lanao Development Authority (LLDA) parallels that of NPC's. This aspiration translates into the satisfaction of basic needs, access to economic and social services that will lead to self and collective esteem as a people within the Lake Lanao Watershed."

Dalomabi Lao Bula told Inside Mindanao that "considering that Lake Lanao is the most important cultural heritage of the Maranaos, there is a need for Lake Lanao to be declared as World Heritage by UNESCO."

Ms. Bula, since the 1970s has been actively advocating for the protection of Lake Lanao. She is presently a professor at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mindanao State University-Marawi.--Inside Mindanao

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