ILOILO CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed officials to fast-track infrastructure projects in Western Visayas.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (center) presides over the Regional Development Council meeting in Iloilo City on Feb. 13. (PCO)
The President made the directive during the Regional Development Council-6 meeting here on Thursday, Feb. 13.
Among these projects is the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project-Phase II (JRMP II) in Calinog, Iloilo.
Marcos inaugurated the project last July but is not yet operational. The JRMP-II still needs to complete canals that connect the three major dams to irrigation lines.
Marcos also ordered officials to prioritize the proposed trans-link bridges connecting the islands of Panay, Guimaras, and Negros.
The project is still in the detailed engineering stages even as the Marcos administration as well as the administrations of former Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Benigno Aquino III claimed this was a priority project.
Marcos was also briefed on agriculture, education, water, tourism, and flood mitigation projects.
The President was joined in the meeting by Secretaries Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and regional directors of key national government agencies.
The meeting was attended by local government officials, including Governors Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. of Iloilo, Jose Enrique Miraflores of Aklan, Rhodora Cadiao of Antique, Fredenil Castro of Capiz, JC Rahman Nava of Guimaras, as well as Mayors Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City and Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez of Bacolod City.