PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) – A provincial irrigation management official opposes conversion for industrial purposes areas dedicated for irrigation to preserve what little is left of these arable lands.
The Irrigation Management Office (PIMO) said during the Kapihan sa PIA that conversion is also a long process because the central office has the sole authority to decide on the matter.
“Sana maiwasan ang conversion sa Palawan dahil baka masira, maliit na nga yong area natin, mababawasan pa,” Division Manager Engr. Armando Flores of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)-Palawan said.
(We expect that conversion could be avoided to prevent the further destruction and further shrinking of irrigable areas in Palawan.)
As of December 2023, NIA’s irrigation development covered 37,641.40 hectares of developed area or 57.67 percent, and the remaining area for development stood at 27,531.60 hectares or 42.24 percent of the total area dedicated for development.
Senior Irrigators Development Officer Glenda Buenavista noted that the applicant for conversion will also shoulder the development cost, especially if the place is within the service area of the irrigation system.
“Kailangan bayaran nila ‘yong (applicants must pay for the) development cost, which includes irrigation construction and development expenses,” she said. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
