THE Iloilo City Council will study first the National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) Jalaur River Multi-purpose Project Stage 2 (JRMP II) before issuing a resolution of support and endorsement.
The City Council forwarded the proposal of the P11.2-billion megadam project to the committee on environmental protection, said Councilor R. Leone Gerochi.
The JRMP II is envisioned to provide year-round irrigation water to 23 towns and two cities in Iloilo, said NIA Regional Manager Gerardo P. Corsiga in his letter for support.
The project includes irrigation of 9,500 hectares additional farmlands and rehabilitation of the existing 22,000 hectares.
Aside from the three dams, an 81-kilometer high line canal that will traverse the municipalities of Calinog, Lambunao, Badiangan, Janiuay, Cabatuan, Alimodian, Leon and Tigbauan will be constructed.
The other areas to benefit from the project are the farmlands of Iloilo towns of Anilao, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Dueñas, Dumangas, Leganes, Mina, New Lucena, Oton, Pavia, Pototan, San Enrique, San Miguel, Sta Barabara, Zarraga, Passi City and Iloilo City.
The project is also envisioned to provide additional potable water supply, generate an additional 6.6 megawatts of power and mitigate flooding occurrence in the province of Iloilo, said Corsiga.
The megadam is also designed to be resilient to an 8.5-magnitude earthquake.
The project has P8.95-billion loan from the Korea Economic Development Cooperation Fund and the National Government is shouldering the remaining P2.25 billion of the total dam construction cost.
The megadam project has a pending case before the Court of Appeals referred by the Supreme Court, after former Tesda Director General Augusto Syjuco filed a case through a Writ of Kalikasan against the NIA and Senate President Franklin M. Drilon.
A memorandum from the Office of the Solicitor General dated January 13, 2014 to the NIA showed that the no Temporary Environmental Protection Order (Tepo), much less any injunctive writ, was issued by the Supreme Court in this case.
Under Section, Rule 7 issued by the High Court, otherwise known as the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases, a petition for Writ of Kalikasan may include a prayer for the issuance of a Tepo.
The Officer of the Solicitor General has an opinion that the NIA can proceed with the implementation of the project and issue the necessary Notice to Proceed for the consulting services for detailed design and construction supervision of the project.