By TARA YAP
CALINOG, Iloilo – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inaugurated here on Tuesday, July 16, the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project-Stage II (JRMP-II) after a decade of delay.
THE high dam is one of the three dams of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project-Stage II (JRMP-II) in Calinog town, Iloilo province that opened on Tuesday, July 16. (Tara Yap)
The dam was originally planned to be completed during the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
“This should boost further the development in the agricultural sector as well as the local economy of the entire region,” said Marcos.
The first phase of the JRMP was completed in 1983 during the term of the President’s father, Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.
The second phase began in 2011 when Sen. Franklin Drilon pushed for the project implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
But before construction of the JRMP-II could start, the Supreme Court issued a Writ of Kalikasan against the JRMP-II in October 2013 after a petition was filed by former Iloilo Rep. Augusto “Boboy” Syjuco Jr. The Court of Appeals would later junk the petition.
The schedule of completion of the three dams and its reservoirs were moved several times.
There was also the issue of the budget that ballooned to P19.6 billion. The budget for JRMP-II was set at P11.2 billion. Bulk or P8.2 billion was a loan from the Export-Import Bank of South Korea while the government’s counterpart was P2.2 billion.
In 2023, the Marcos administration approved the additional P8.48-billion funding after contractor Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. of South Korea fell behind schedule due to rising inflation rate in the aftermath of the pandemic that impacted the cost of construction materials and labor.
Touted as the government’s biggest dam project outside of Luzon, the JRMP-II is set to be operational next year.