By BETHEENA UNITE
President Marcos has urged all those who will be handling the operations of the first large-scale water reservoir in Iloilo to manage it with integrity and dedication.
On Tuesday, July 16, Marcos led the inauguration of the dams of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project - Stage II (JRMP-II) in Calinog, Iloilo.
In his speech, he encouraged those who will be in charge of the reservoir's management to "maintain our sense of purpose."
"I urge everyone who will be tasked with the operations and further developments of this project to maintain our sense of purpose, our integrity, and dedication with you always," Marcos said.
"From the groundbreaking to the completion and down to the daily management, we must always uphold excellence and wisdom with compassion," he added.
The President highlighted that it is by far, the largest water reservoir project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) outside of Luzon.
"Costing almost P20 billion, the JRMP II has three key components: the irrigation development, the environmental and watershed management, and institutional development," he said.
He added that with the further completion of the construction of three dams and line canals spanning more than 80 kilometers, more than 30,000 hectares of service area and around 25,000 farmers will benefit from the supply of irrigation water.
The Chief Executive said it is estimated to help increase annual rice production in Region 6 by 160,000 metric tons, which is almost 20 percent of the region’s annual rice requirement.
A portion of the water from the High Dam’s reservoir, or around 86 million liters per day, will be utilized to supply the commercial and industrial bulk water requirements of Iloilo City and its neighboring municipalities.
"We also look forward to the 6.6 megawatts of hydroelectric power that it will generate to supplement the power supply on Panay Island," Marcos said.
"Additionally, it is also proposed to develop inland fishery, floating solar energy systems, and eco-cultural tourism, in the near future," he added.
Once operational, the JRMP-II is seen to expand NIA’s irrigation service area by 9,500 hectares of rain-fed agricultural land on top of the existing 22,340 hectares being serviced by the Agency.
The JRMP was created in 1960 through Republic Act (RA) No. 2651 and the first stage of the project was completed in 1982. The JRMP-II is expected to be fully operational in the middle of 2025.