Duterte said building Kaliwa dam with Chinese capital is necessary to provide water for metropolitan Manila, though this project was rejected.

"Everyone has the right to protest if it puts them in danger. Between everyone's concerns and the crisis we try to avoid, I will use the special power of the president," Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said. at a press conference in Manila on October 28, referring to the Kaliwa dam project.

As planned, the Kaliwa dam will be built on the Kaliwa-Kanan-Agos River in Quezon Province and is expected to provide the metropolitan Manila with an additional 600 million liters of water per day.

However, this project has been delayed for decades due to opposition from indigenous communities, NGOs and the Catholic Church. Residents are reluctant to relocate, while activists and the Church question the safety of the dam.

"If people are concerned that the dam will pollute, I just say that you think about protection measures. It can create danger or damage, but that's not my concern. My mind is welfare, the biggest benefit for the greatest number of people. It's democracy, "Duterte added.

Controversy over the construction of the Kaliwa dam intensified after Duterte decided to allow China to fund instead of publicly bidding the project. The Executive Secretary of the Philippine Presidential Office Salvador Medialdea led the delegation to Beijing earlier this year to promote the transfer of a US $ 211 million loan to the dam project.

The Philippines' capital, Manila, this year experienced some of the most severe water shortages in the past decade, with dozens of counties dehydrated for days. However, some critics accuse the Duterte government of exaggerating the issue in order to gain support for the Kaliwa dam project.

Earlier, a spokesman for Duterte said that there was no final decision on the project and the government was considering whether it would benefit the country best and the project could still be canceled if not brought. many benefits.