Talakag Irrigation Project Phase II gets RDC-X approval

Sunday 25th of December 2011

TANGUB CITY, Misamis Occidental, Dec. 25 (PIA) – The Regional Development Council, Region 10 (RDC-X) approved the proposal to implement the P493.44-million Talakag Irrigation Project (TIP) Phase II, after seeing that the project concurs with the Regional Development Plan of Northern Mindanao.

As explained by Mayor Nova Princess E. Parojinog –Echavez of Ozamiz City, Chairperson of RDC-X Infrastructure Committee, during the 90th Full Council Meeting held in Tangub City, recently, the pre-construction activities for the TIP Project, with a designed area of about 2,500 hectares was started by the National Irrigation Authority (NIA-X) in 1985.

Echavez said the total cost of TIP Phase I was about P490 million, but construction of the dam and field office started only in 2004 with an initial funding release of P30 million from the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

The main bulk of the budget for the project was released in 2009 in the amount of P356.357 million to cover the construction of its major components, such as, the main canal and the diversion dam at Batang River.

As of June 30, 2011, overall physical accomplishment was about 75 percent with total funding allocation of P458.25 million.

To date, TIP Phase I is irrigating an area of about 700 hectares. The remaining works to complete Phase I are the construction of lateral canals.

Meanwhile, the proposed TIP Phase II is an integral part of the TIP Phase I and is supportive of the agenda of the national government of rehabilitation and restoration of small irrigation projects anchored on attaining self-sufficiency and surplus in rice by increasing the level of irrigation development.

The project is also in line with the policy adopted in the 2011-2016 RDP of region10 of providing infrastructure support, such as, irrigation projects to create more jobs and spur economic activities within the localities.

The TIP Phase II aims to irrigate 1,995 hectares to benefit nine barangays in the municipality of Talakag, Bukidnon, and employs 112 potential beneficiaries during the wet season and 94 beneficiaries during the dry season.

“With the project, there will be an increase in agricultural productivity, and income of the farmers, which is supportive of the national objectives of poverty reduction, employment generation and income redistribution,” Echavez said.

The project, likewise, envisions to assists the farmers to become micro-entrepreneurs by enhancing the capability of organized group of farmer beneficiaries to form into cooperatives.

A gravity type of irrigation system,TIP Phase II located in the municipality of Talakag, Bukidnon and its major components include the construction of the main canal and lateral canals, project facilities, service/access roads, road-right of way acquisition and institutional development program.

The canal system involves the construction of 16 km. main canal and 14 km. lateral canals with the conveyance structure constructed and interconnected by main canals, lateral canals and main farm ditches to service the 1,995 hectares potential irrigable areas.

The existing field office constructed in 2004 shall be renovated and extended to serve as the venue for the technology and skills advancement training center of the farmer-beneficiaries.

The total cost of the TIP Phase II is P493.44 million to be sourced from the GAA with the construction period estimated to be completed in two years.