Editor's Note:
Published on page A20 of the Aug. 29, 2005 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer
TWO documentary films that focused on the experiences of
indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region in protecting
their environment won top prizes in the Moonrise Documentary
Film Festival in Metro Manila last week.
"Agno," directed by Erlyn Ruth Alcantara, bagged the best
documentary on rivers and lakes category, while "Moving
Mountains" by Boyette and Luz Rimban bagged the "Grand
Charlie" top prize in the competition.
The documentary, titled "Wailing of Paradise" of the
Communication for Evangelization and Development Center (CEDC)
of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, was proclaimed best
film in the mining category.
Alcantara's "Agno" was about the fight of Benguet Ibalois
and Pangasinan residents who live along the Agno River against
the construction of the San Roque Dam.
The film tackled the impact of large dam projects, such as
San Roque, on small farming communities in Barangay Dalupirip
in Itogon town in Benguet province and in San Nicolas and San
Manuel
towns
in Pangasinan province.
"Moving Mountains" tackled the destructive effects of
large-scale corporate mining on the environment, culture and
the lives in the communities in the Cordillera.
Fr. Edu Gariguez, scriptwriter of the 29-minute film
documentary "Wailing of Paradise" depicts the campaign of the
people of Mindoro against the entry of the large-scale mining
of the Mindoro Nickel Project of Crew Development Corp., a
Canadian mining corporation, and the local firm Aglubang
Mining.
"It highlights the concerted efforts of the basic sectors,
the civil society, including the Church and the local
government units, in opposing the industry that threatens the
rich biodiversity, the livelihood of the people, the ancestral
domains of the Mangyan indigenous peoples and the fragile
ecosystems of the island province of Mindoro," said Father
Gariguez.
The festival was organized by Center for Environmental
Awareness and Education.
Desiree Caluza, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau and Madonna
Virola, PDI Southern Luzon
Bureau
News
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