CPA wins international Water Awards
CPA wins international Water Awards
BANAUE RICE TERRACES
The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) is greatly honored as the recipient of the Eco Water Awards 2014 Gaia Prize presented by the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM)/Friends of Earth Korea, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) and Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea. CPA received the award through its Secretary General, Ms. Abigail Anongos, during the awarding ceremony held on November 24, 2014 at the SBS Prism Tower in Seoul, South Korea.
In the invitation to accept the award sent to CPA, the organizers of the Eco Water Awards stated that “It is our great pleasure to inform Cordillera Peoples Alliance that Gaia Prize, the international section of the ‘SBS Eco Water Awards’, will be given to you. The Awards are an appreciation to your dedication for water resources and water related ecosystem conservation.”
According to Ms. Anongos, “We sincerely thank the organizers of the Eco Water Awards for recognizing our work in protecting and defending Cordillera natural resources and biodiversity, particularly the Abra River system which is continuously poisoned by the toxic wastes of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company operations.”
The award is a testament of the unwavering dedication and commitment of the CPA for the defense of land, life, and resources. CPA firmly believes that water resources are not separated from the whole landscape of the ecosystem and its conservation. It is for this reason that CPA is always in the forefront of the struggle against illegal logging, destructive mining, giant dams, and other forms of environmental destruction.
“There are no other organizations that can match this dedication and commitment of CPA and its allied organizations from the grassroots for the defense of resources in the region. We have spearheaded major campaigns to save the river systems in the region, such as the “Let the Agno River Flow” and “Save the Abra River Movement.” In fact, CPA as an organization is pioneered by staunch environmental defenders of the Chico River against the World Bank-funded Chico dams in Kalinga and Mountain Province from the 1970s-1980s, as well as the Cellophil Resources logging concessions in Abra. These actions and campaigns are meant to save the environment for the people and future generations, and not for capitalist greed,” added Anongos.
The CPA is honored by this recognition and is further inspired to do more to pursue the defense and nurture of our ancestral land and resources. More importantly, CPA dedicates this award to the Cordillera indigenous peoples and advocates who do not waver in the struggle to defend our ancestral land and resources, and for our self-determination.
The ‘SBS Eco Water Awards’ is annually given in recognition of the contributions of individuals, communities and institutions to protect water environments and to improve water resources management and water quality in a sustainable way. These awards hope to honor those who work to find sustainable solutions to diverse challenges that arise in water resources management and water related ecosystem conservation.
(PRESS RELEASE)
(For reference: Mr. Jude Baggo, Public Information Officer
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