The project included the asphalt paving of a 5.28-kilometer, two-lane road, complete with a 613-meter lined canal, a sidewalk, and 222-meter concrete shoulders. Reflectorized thermoplastic pavement markings and warning signs were also installed to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians, especially at night.

“The improved and upgraded road will facilitate faster and more convenient connection between the towns of Sta. Barbara and New Lucena, as well as to other towns nearby. This will also benefit motorists as asphalt road is vehicle-friendly,” DPWH-6 director Sanny Boy Oropel said in a statement.

Oropel highlighted that the road improvement significantly extends the life of the existing concrete pavement without requiring complete repaving.

The addition of safety features, such as pavement markings, ensures smoother and safer travel for all road users.

Engineer Mario Soriano of the Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office also underscored the benefits of asphalt roads, including cost efficiency and reduced noise pollution.

The upgraded road is expected to enhance connectivity, support economic activity, and improve the overall quality of life for residents in the area.Perla Lena/PNA

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Instead of identifying those responsible for the defective flyover, DPWH-6 director Sonny Boy Oropel said they focus on fixing the defective flyover.

Based on the geotechnical investigation of the DPWH third-party consultant, all 16 piers of the four-lane flyover suffered vertical displacement.

“Ang akon lang ya is to move forward kon ano pwede naton mabulig para magamit na naton in full capacity ang Ungka flyover,” he said in a press conference.

The flyover, which is currently undergoing repairs, is targeted to be fully operational by December this year.

“The DPWH is not looking for any…wala kita nagapangita sang accountable person. Kay sa nasiling ko na, in the first place, the people in the regional office before my assumption just only implement projects according to plans,” Oropel stressed.

The construction of the controversial flyover was completed in August 2022 when the DPWH-6 was still headed by Tiburcio DL Canlas as regional director. The following month, Canlas was succeeded by Nerie Bueno. Oropel was appointed to the post in 2023, replacing Bueno.

From its original budget of P680 million, the cost of 453.7-meter flyover ballooned to nearly P1 billion due to repairs.

The flyover straddles between Jaro district in Iloilo City and Pavia town in Iloilo province.IMT

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The Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed a resolution authorizing Governor Arthur Governor Jr. to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DOH Western Visayas Center for Health Development for its implementation.

“The governor certifies the immediate enactment of this resolution so that the MOAs be implemented immediately,” said Board Member and Floor Leader Domingo Oso Jr.

A total of P6.05 million will be allocated to the Iloilo Provincial Hospital, while P3 million each will go to the Aleosan District Hospital and the Rep. Pedro G. Trono Memorial Hospital.

The rest of the hospitals namely Don Valerio Palmares, Sr. Memorial District Hospital, Dr. Ricardo S. Provido Sr. Memorial District Hospital, Dr. Ricardo Y. Ladrido Memorial District Hospital, Federico Roman Tirador Sr. Memorial District Hospital, Gov. Niel D. Tupas Sr. District Hospital, Jesus M. Colmenares District Hospital, Ramon D. Duremdes District Hospital, Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital, San Joaquin Mother and Child Hospital, and Sara District Hospital will have P1 million each.

DOH-6 Regional Director Adriano Suba-an said in a previous interview that the provision of medical assistance is “another stride of the department in achieving Universal Health Care.”

“It ensures the health care access for vulnerable populations in the region. This initiative stands as a beacon of hope and compassion to the people of Western Visayas,” he said.

This year, the region has an allocation of over P1.340 billion, and more than P298 million has been obligated as of May.PNA

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The National Irrigation Administration (NIA-6), the project’s implementing agency, said it has invited Marcos to lead the inauguration.

Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. and other provincial and local government officials are also expected to attend the event.

The multi-billion project includes the construction of a 109-meter Jalaur high dam, 38.5-meter afterbay dam, 10-meter Alibunan catch dam, 80.74-kilometer high line canal; generation of new areas for irrigation; and rehabilitation of existing irrigation systems.

Once operational, the mega dam will provide year-round irrigation to approximately 32,000 hectares of farm land and benefit thousands of Ilonggo farmers, according to NIA-6.IMT

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Those jeepneys without stickers issued by the Iloilo City Traffic Management Unit (ICTMU) will not be allowed to operate.

According to ICTMU head Uldarico Garbanzos, the purpose of installing color-coded stickers is to “hasten the identification of colorum” units.

“But there are remaining traditional jeepneys that are unstickered due to internal problems within their cooperatives,” he said.

Garbanzos noted that around 93 to 95 percent of the 1,692 consolidated traditional jeepneys operating in the 25 routes identified in the LPTRP have stickers. and 100 percent of those coming from first towns and allowed to enter city routes.

He said the Land Transportation Office (LTO) was already instructed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to start apprehending unconsolidated traditional jeepneys that continue to operate.

“We will start this in tandem with LTO because this is a franchise violation. The enforcement arm of DOTr (Department of Transportation) and the LTFRB is the LTO.  By next week, we will inform you all about our operation,” Garbanzos added.

Once apprehended, the drivers can be fined P50,000 with one-year suspension and 30-day impounding of units.

The deadline for consolidating jeepneys under the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program lapsed on April 30.

The grace period given by LTFRB and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) ended on May 15.IMT

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“We will make sure that this irrigation system is completed as part of the program of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. to see to it that there is food, at least the basic staple rice, on every Filipino household’s table,” he said during a town hall meeting in Tigbauan, Iloilo on April 25.

The project’s irrigation component is expected to  provide year-round irrigation to approximately 32,000 hectares of farm land and benefit thousands of Ilonggo farmers.

“We will help our farmers with other inputs as well, like seeds, fertilizer, farm equipment. We will also assist them in marketing their produce by building farm-to-market roads,” Romualdez said.

He added that building irrigation systems is critical in times like the currently raging El Niño extended dry season phenomenon.

The mega dam project, which is 74.31 percent complete as of March 2024, is targeted to be operational by next year, according to Flordalie Padillo, information officer of JRMP II,.

“Tapos na po ang konstrukyon ng tatlong dams ng proyekto kabilang ang 109 meters Jalaur High Dam na magsisilbing impounding dam. As of now po, construction activities are focused on the irrigation component of the project including the 80 kilometers High Line Canal covering 9 municipalities in the Province of Iloilo,” she said.

The construction of the dam is being undertaken by South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering and Construction.IMT

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Led by Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, the city government held a ceremonial contract exchange ceremony on March 1 with Metro Pacific Water (MPW), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Water Investments Corporation (MPWIC), for the construction of state-of-the-art Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility (ISWMF).

The city government’s project partner was represented by MPWIC President and CEO Andrew Pangilinan; Metro Pacific Iloilo Water Chief Operating Office Rob Cabiles; and MetPower Venture Partners Holdings, Inc. President and CEO Jose Maria Madara.

“This outcome marks a historic milestone for us – building one of the country’s most technologically advanced waste recovery facilities only here in Iloilo City,” Treñas said.

Aside from addressing environmental issues, the project will also spare the city government from spending too much for the operation of the sanitary landfill in Calahunan, Mandurriao.

To be constructed in a 3-hectare property in Barangay Ingore, La Paz, the P2.3 billion ISWMF has a capacity to process 475 tons of solid waste per day.

The facility can produce up to 3.5 megawatts of power to augment the 10 megawatts for the desalination plant, which can produce water supply at a lower cost for consumers.

The city mayor added that the city government will also get a share of the power generated from the facility.

On his part, Pangilinan said he is very grateful to the Iloilo City Government under Treñas for being very supportive of the project that is beneficial for the Ilonggos.

Madara shared that they are already starting the permitting process to get relevant permits from various national government agencies. These include environmental clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“The process and the technologies that we are adopting for this project will be fully compliant with environmental laws of the country. We are confident that we will be able to meet those standards,” Madara told the local press.Iloilo City PIO

Photo by Jezel Taparan

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“The first-ever festival is a feast for the senses, showcasing the best of Ilonggo cuisine through a diverse range of culinary experiences, from traditional dishes to innovative creations that highlight the region’s unique flavors and ingredients,” Salvador Sarabia Jr., director of the city government’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) office, said in a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

The Iloilo City Festival of Food set on April 26-30 will have a daily showcase of culinary innovation with food tasting of Ilonggo delicacies prepared by local chefs, including La Paz batchoy, pancit molo, “tinuom” of the town of Cabatuan, buffet of mangoes from the municipality of Leon, and chevon fest from San Miguel town and desserts like baye-baye, biscocho and butterscotch, among others.

“We will likewise introduce coffee and cacao-based in some of the municipalities in Iloilo like Cabatuan. The cacao is being presented and the coffee and different coffee makers in Iloilo,” said Dr. Tina Sudario, faculty of the Iloilo City Community College helping the MICE Center mount the event.

The event will also include cooking demonstrations where home-grown chefs will showcase their skills and share tips and techniques for recreating authentic Ilonggo dishes and symposia covering topics like traditional cooking methods, ingredient sourcing, marketing, packaging and flavor pairings.

Sudario said municipalities have a role in sustaining Iloilo City’s title as Gastronomy City because raw materials are sourced from the province.

“We cannot do away with the involvement of the people our farmers because of the supply chain. We also need to introduce them likewise to support the city in terms of innovation of cuisines because all of these raw materials are mostly coming from the province of Iloilo,” she added.

Sarabia said they look forward to launching a food map in partnership with the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Arts during the event that will guide food enthusiasts in exploring the best dishes in the city.Perla Lena/PNA

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As of January 2024, the project in the town of Calinog, Iloilo registered an overall physical project accomplishment of 74 percent.

“This accomplishment includes the substantial completion of all three dams including the 109-meter high Jalaur High Dam last year,”  NIA-6 said in a press release.

“This likewise means that works are now focused on the irrigation component including the 80-kilometer High Line Canal and 80 kilometers main and lateral canals,” it added.

The mega dam, touted to be the biggest dam outside of Luzon, is targeted to be fully operational by next year.

The project, is expected to “increase the province of Iloilo’s rice production to 338,874 metric tons per year equivalent to a 71.54% increase from the current production of 197,545 metric tons.”

“This will be attained through year-round delivery of irrigation water to a total of 31, 840 hectares of farmlands encompassing 23 municipalities in the province of Iloilo, thereby directly benefiting a total of 25,000 farmers,” NIA-6 said.

Lobbied by former senator Franklin Drilon, the dam will also bring other benefits such as hydroelectric power, bulk water, eco-cultural tourism, flood mitigation and employment.

The construction of JRMP II started in 2019. It is funded under a grant by the Korean government through the KEXIM Bank.IMT

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“It’s a heads-up that in the event there is deterioration in the generation or our system is threatened, we will be considering manual load dropping as a worst-case scenario. Currently, we are monitoring closely, we will be sending advisories if there are updates or developments,” Reagan Alcantara, lead specialist of the public relations of the NGCP, said Thursday, Feb. 8.

In an advisory, NGCP said it received information on the reduction of power produced by the PCPC from 124 megawatts (MW) to 65 MW due to issues internal to the plant and the possibility that it may “cause PCPC to shut down entirely.”

PCPC is one of two big power generators in Panay; the other is the Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC), but only two of its three units are operating.

PEDC’s Unit 1, with a generating capacity of 83 MW, is still on maintenance shutdown from Feb.1 to Feb. 17. Its two other units can generate around 233 MW.

NGCP data showed the afternoon peak demand of Panay Island is 486 megawatts (MW) and 453 MW in the evening.Perla Lena/PNA

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