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Thursday, March 30, 2006
Group execs hold inspection of projects
By Ben Serrano
Caraga Correspondent
BUTUAN CITY -- Officials of the Cotabato-Agusan River Bank Development Project (CARDBP) and foreign funding institution Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) recently inspected the Lower Agusan Development Project (LADP), a pre-requisite for continuation of LADP II.
The LADP is a component project of the CARDBP, a foreign-funded project by JBIC, which converts the Agusan River water supply potential into irrigation use.
Phase one of the project is a construction of flood control system within the perimeter of the city composed of four packages or phases.
Part two of the project concerns more the construction of dikes along riverbanks and dredging of Agusan River due to siltation.
Aside from providing the biggest housing resettlement ever in Northeastern Mindanao for 500 affected families, it is also the biggest single employer hiring 2,000 workers from the region since the project started in 1996.
CARDBP officials headed by CARDBP Project Director Philip Meñez and local LADP executives headed by LADP Project Manager Rogelio Ang and LADP Project Engineer Leo Mendoza toured the Japanese officials at the ongoing flood control projects who are interested to fund the LADP II.
Meñez who conceptualized LADP I said Japanese officials of JBIC have shown enthusiasm and optimism that part two of the LADP under CARDBP pushes through.
This is based on the remarkable achievement of LADP 1 despite difficulties it encountered since start of the project such as land conflicts.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) National Standards Bureau have awarded the LADP Butuan City Project as the number one in terms of quality standards and accomplishments.
The Caraga Regional Development Council (RDC) endorsed the phase two component of the project as one of the priority infra projects in the region.
Recently officials of National Economic and Development Authority and RDC have met with the JBIC officials discussing the last stage in the implementation of LADP phase two, according to Department of Trade and Industry Caraga Regional Director Brielgo Pagaran.
"The funding is there and that what they are finalizing right now are the implementing guidelines for the project which includes inclusion of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the project to address the environmental issues", Pagaran said.
Meñez said LADP II is one of the biggest flood control system in the country under the CARDBP.
The project's two major program components such as the flood control is handled by DPWH while irrigation is handled by the National Irrigation Administration.
It is intended to turn huge tracts of agricultural lands within the large Agusan and Cotabato Valley into productive agricultural areas.
(March 30, 2006 issue)
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