ILOILO – Former Senate President Franklin Drilon recognized the contributions of both the Aquino and Marcos administrations in the successful completion of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project (JRMP II) in Calinog town.
The inauguration of three major components of the project, including a 109-meter high dam, a 38.5-meter afterbay dam, and an 80.74-kilometer high line canal, is scheduled for July 16.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has been invited to lead the ceremony.
Drilon credited the late President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III’s administration for securing the funding necessary to move the project forward, decades after its initial conception in the 1960s.
President Marcos has continued this legacy by approving additional funds needed for the project’s completion, originally initiated by his father, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who completed the first phase in 1983.
At a recent National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board meeting chaired by President Marcos, a loan restructuring worth P8.48 billion was approved to finalize JRMP II.
Drilon expressed his gratitude to both leaders for their focus on this critical infrastructure, essential for tackling the country’s food security challenges.
“This is a legacy project that bridges political divides, and I am honored to have played a significant role in realizing this vision that began six decades ago,” said Drilon.
The project’s resumption was significantly aided in 2011 when the Aquino administration secured a $207 million loan from the Korean Exim Bank, marking it as the largest Official Development Assistance (ODA) project from South Korea to the Philippines.
The completion of JRMP II is expected to substantially increase rice production, which will help stabilize rice prices, a major inflation factor in the Philippines.
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Western Visayas, led by Engr. Jonel Borres, anticipates the project to be fully operational by 2025, increasing the annual rice production in Iloilo from 197,545 to 338,874 metric tons.
This project will also provide year-round irrigation to approximately 31,840 hectares of farmland, benefiting 25,000 farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. noted that about 4,500 indigenous people in the province would also benefit from the project.
As part of the preparations for full operations by the end of 2025, the impounding of water in the Jalaur High Dam began on May 8.
According to Steve Cordero, JRMP II watershed management chief and spokesperson, filling the high dam will take about 12 months, necessitating the early commencement of water storage.
JRMP II is among the 194 priority infrastructure projects under the government’s “Build Better More” (BBM) program./PN
