Bank Projects Breed Sorrow and Violence

An Interview

by Tim Shorrock

The following interview is with a church worker from the Philippines who works closely with indigenous people. Because of the sensitive nature of her work, she spoke to Multinational Monitor on the condition that she not be identified.

How does the Philippines government organize development projects, and what is their impact on native peoples?
One program of the government is called "integrated area development." This has been in place since the early 1970s, and is funded by the World Bank. The government makes a survey of the area, identifies the resources, and identifies potential multinational corporations or investments that can be utilized.
The classic example of hydroelectric projects and the government disregard for the people who have been displaced is the Binga Ambuclao dam. These two dams were built in the late forties and early fifties, and are part of the Amu River development project, a six dam project. Nearly 300 families from Ambuclao were displaced, and they were promised a location in Visaya, and promised a renumeration of ten centavos per square meter of agricultural land and 50 centavos per square meter of residential land. But up to the present there have been no payments to the Ibollois. The people dislocated were never given renumeration because the government declared they were squatters on public land, despite the fact that the people claimed the land was ancestral land.
What is one impact on the people from these projects?
With regards to relocation, there is the psychological disorientation that has cost the people there. The indigenous people in the Philippines are closely related to the land. Their culture, their way of life, their religion, get the symbols from the land. You see, they have ancestral worship; they believe the ancestors' spirit would haunt them if they are not protecting the land. They believe that it is their responsibility to continue to become stewards of the land and protect it for the next generation. The government promised them that when the dams were constructed they would be given electricity and benefits from the dams.
But the first beneficiaries of the power were the multinational mining companies from America. And the biggest portion of the power goes to the U.S. bases at Clark and Subic Bay. Almost 80 to 90 percent of the power goes to the bases. Only a minimum goes to the residents of the area.
The people around the dams were able to have electricity only very, very recently, in 1978 or 1980. And those dams were built in 1956.
Now this experience is known to the Kalinga, who will be affected by the Chico dams project, a project of four dams. About 100,000 will be affected. The strong resistance of the Kalinga has cost the government so much expense in terms of sending troops and establishing a special Kalinga development region, which are basically non-productive expenses, that they have shelved the Chico dams project for the next ten years. After ten years they will review and restudy the project.
How do the people resist?
The people's resistance to the Chico dam was made in several ways. At one time people closed down the tents of the drilling teams at the site of the fourth dam, carried all the drilling equipment to the capital of the province and deposited them. Before this they had been dismantling the tents, and then the National Power Corporation would put them up again, and then they would take them down, until the people completely dismantled them. And it was the Kalinga women, who are naked from the waist up, they were the ones who carried all this equipment.
What is the role of the multilateral banks in these projects?
World Bank loans are invested in support infrastructure projects. So it would be the money of the World Bank that would build the ports, the roads, buy the imports, the bridges; these things. As for their direct involvement, the main bank is the Asian Development Bank. For the Binga and Ambuclao dams, the money comes from the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The World Bank is not financing the Chico Dams, but they are funding the Chico River irrigation project.
What is the relationship between these loans, the corporations, and U. S. military aid to the Philippines?
In eastern Mindanao, for example, the heavy militarization is because of the request of the transnationals for protection. The growing insurgent forces have been conducting operations. And the fear of transnationals of insurgent actions on their property forces them to seek military assistance from the government. In one area alone there are something like 19 battalions stationed, marines, and air support. And these are U.S. war materials sent to the Philippines. That's why we are very worried with this new agreement on the military bases, for which the U.S. will pay $800 million. Second, of course, is the threat of the Philippine people becoming a target in case of a nuclear war. The military aid will increase greatly the strength of the military. And it is used against the Philippine people.
Do you think the peace movement in the U. S. can tie into the struggle in the Philippines?
There can be no real peace, even if you stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, if these unjust social structures and the existence of transnational corporations continue. There can be no real peace without real justice in the Third World, where exploitation and injustice is very, very strong and people are poor, people are dying because of malnutrition, disease, and poverty, and human rights are violated.
The American people should be more concerned about the effects of U.S. government policies on Third World countries like the Philippines. If they think of strengthening the U.S. position worldwide they should think also of what it means in terms of the lives of people where bases are located.
It seems like Americans think that we like the bases. They should know that we do not like the bases. U.S. aid to the Philippines does not in any way benefit the people.

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