After a spate of earthquakes in the Visayas recently, the Panay-Guimaras Indigenous People's Network called Dagsaw, urged for a re-evaluation of the safety of the Jalaur mega-dam project in the town of Calinog, Iloilo.

The impact of Wednesday's earthquake of intensity 5 triggered by the tectonic movement of the fault in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, "belies Senator (Franklin) Drilon's aversion that the Jalaur dam project is safe because it is 11 kilometers away from the active West Panay Fault. The epicenter of the earthquake at Cauayan is 78 kilometers away from Iloilo which experienced an intensity 4 tremor. Intensity 4 was also felt in Antique and Capiz," Dagsaw said in its statement sent to The News Today.

Also on Feb. 6, 2012, an intensity 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Dumaguete City, Villahermoso, Negros Oriental; Intensity 6 in La Carlota City and La Castellana, Negros Occidental and Argao, Cebu, Intensity 5 in Iloilo City, Roxas City, Dao and Ivisan in Capiz; Ayungon, Negros Oriental; Kanlaon City, Lapu-lapu City, Guimaras, Cebu City, Bacolod City, Sagay City, Tagbilaran City, and Candoni Banalbagan, Negros Occidental.

The said earthquake killed at least 40 persons in Negros Oriental while it damaged the Hall of Justice building, forcing its offices to look for another building.

"Instead of brushing aside the present and real danger of the West Panay Fault to the Jalaur mega-dam project, the government should re-evaluate the safety of the proposed dam," said Dagsaw (PGIPNET) Executive Director Cynthia Deduro.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), they don't have the capacity to accurately predict when an earthquake strikes nor can they calculate its intensity.

According to PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum, the strongest ever recorded was the 8.3 magnitude earthquake caused by the West Panay Fault in 1948. It damaged 55 churches in Panay Island with 17 to have totally collapsed and 20 had cracks beyond repair. Also, it was reported that 50 percent of the houses in Antique were ruined and two persons died.

"To clarify the safety issue, we call on all Ilonggo congressmen, local government officials, and other stakeholders to support Bayan Muna's House resolution to conduct an onsite congressional public hearing on the safety of the Jalaur dam project. The danger that the fault may cause to the lives of the people far outweighs the declared benefits of project," added Deduro.*PR