Gov't banks on completing Jalaur dam in 2018

In his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, President Benigno Aquino III mentioned anew the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project II (JRMP-II) in Iloilo not merely as one of his administration’s projects but that it has been on the drawing board for over 50 years.

 

“The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project in Iloilo was conceptualized around the time of my birth; we have recently broken ground for stage two of this project,” the 55-year-old President said.

 

Dating back to the 1960s, the mega-dam's first phase was completed in 1982. With an P8.9-billion loan from the Korean Exim Bank and a P2.2-billion allocation from the national government under a bilateral agreement in 2012, the JRMP-II is set to be completed by 2018.

 

“This proves that the project and its beneficiaries, our Ilonggo stakeholders – particularly farmers and indigenous peoples (IPs) – have a special place in our President’s heart,” Gerardo P. Corsiga, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) VI regional manager, said in a statement on Wednesday.

 

The project has long been delayed since the Supreme Court granted a petition by former Iloilo Rep. Augusto L. Syjuco seeking a Writ of Kalikasan on JRMP-II. The Ecumenical Advocacy Network on the Philippines also made an appeal to cancel the project in June 2014, citing the threat of displacing some 17,000 IPs.

 

NIA Public Affairs and Information Officer Pilipina B. Bermudez said that all the 18 barangays affected by the construction of the mega-dam have already signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the state irrigation office.

 

In a phone interview on Thursday, Bermudez noted that a mother MOA – along with individual MOAs for each barangay, was also signed submitted to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

 

As for the Writ of Kalikasan, Bermudez said an SC decision has been granted in favor of NIA. She did not divulge further details on the matter.

 

The project covers three dams, one of which is the Calibunan Catch Dam. It is expected to be completed before the Aquino's term ends next year.

 

"We hope to start (construction proper) before the year ends," Bermudez said. – VS, GMA News