ILOILO CITY (PIA) — The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) in Calinog, Iloilo Province, is expected to seal food sufficiency and security in Western Visayas.
With three dams and 80-kilometer line canals spanning municipalities in Iloilo province, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., said that the further completion of the JRMP II will greatly improve the region’s agriculture sector.
In his speech during the inauguration of the JRMP II dams on July 16, President Marcos stressed the advantages of the P20 billion project for 25,000 farmers and 4,500 families in indigenous communities in this part of the country.
The President noted that the large-scale water reservoir will cause rice production to increase by 160,000 metric tons, or almost 20% of the region’s annual rice requirement.
Ruben Carbo, president of the LAMGUICAN (Lampaya, Guiso, and Canabajan) Irrigators Association, expressed excitement over the JRMP II, which will ensure year-round irrigation water supply to farmlands previously relying on rainwater alone.
“Kami, very excited gid sa ini nga proyekto kay ang amon di, rainfed lang kami di mo. Pero, kung sa tuod-tuod lang gali, bisan mainit, mas nami pa gid ang patubas kung may tubig ka lang nga ihatag,” he said.
(We are very excited about this project since we are just rain-fed [farms]. In fact, even if it’s a dry season, yield is better as long as there is water.)
Carbo added that the project would benefit not only their association’s member farmers but also the rest of the country through their increased contribution to the nation’s overall rice production.
Meanwhile, farmer Rena Caras from Barangay Cahigon, Calinog, said that they are already feeling the benefits of the project on their agricultural lands.
President Marcos said that Jalaur’s High Dam will be able to provide 86 million liters of water per day for the commercial and industrial bulk water needs of Iloilo City and nearby municipalities.
In addition, the JRMP II is seen to advance ecotourism, aquaculture development, watershed management, and flood mitigation, harnessing the full potential of the Jalaur River while minimizing impacts to the environment and project-covered communities.
With the promising impact of JRMP II on the people of Region 6, PBBM assured the public that his administration is efficiently and wisely investing limited funds in projects that would benefit the greatest number of Filipinos.
“With all of these, the JRMP II truly deserves its label: Katuwang sa Kauswagan, or Partner in Progress. Let this project serve as a benchmark and an inspiration for all endeavors of this scale and of this magnitude,” PBBM noted. (PIA Antique)
