Police blocked the entry of about 700 Indigenous people and supporters who were set to hold a tree planting ceremony at the Kaliwa Dam Access Road in celebration of Save Sierra Madre Day on Sept. 26. 

Despite the blockade, the event continued with a motorcade, the signing of a declaration of support, and cultural performances.

The group, which included environmental advocates, community leaders, and civil society groups, arrived at Magsaysay village, Infanta town in Quezon province, where the tree planting was planned. 

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) had acknowledged a permission letter from the organizers on September 18, but upon arrival, police stopped the convoy. 

Officers requested names and IDs of participants and, after initially allowing some vehicles through, blocked the road, denying access to the rest.

Police officers, led by Police Lt. Halili, explained that there was no permission to enter the premises, despite the prior coordination between the event’s organizers and the MWSS. 

Indigenous leaders and supporters attempted to negotiate with police, but access was denied.

Participants marched along a 12-kilometer trail to meet about 150 people waiting with tree planting tools at Ground Zero, another entrance blocked by police. 

Realizing the trek would take too long, they returned to the main gate to continue the program.

The day ended with a cultural dance by children from the Indigenous communities, a dramatization of the Katutubong Batas (KABTAS) ritual, and the ceremonial signing of a “people’s declaration of support to protect Sierra Madre.” 

The KABTAS is a declaration by the Yokyok, Baykuran, and Makid Indigenous communities, prohibiting the MWSS from entering their ancestral domains.

The Kaliwa Dam Project is an integrated dam system involving the construction of a dam on the Kaliwa River in Rizal province and a smaller dam downstream in Quezon province.

The project site falls within two adjoining Dumagat ancestral domains and will reportedly displace at least 15,000 tribal people.

The project got its funding from a US$248 million loan from China and is one of 75 flagship infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program of the government of former President Rodrigo Duterte.