Speaker Martin G. Romualdez assured Ilonggos that the House of Representatives is ready to provide needed funds to ensure the completion of the irrigation component of the Jalaur River Multi-purpose Project (JRMP) Stage II in the town of Calinog, Iloilo.
“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
