IPs affected by mega dam await resettlement

ILOILO – The resettlement project intended for 32 families of Indigenous Peoples ( IP) affected by the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Stage II ( JRMP II) construction in the municipality of Calinog is expected to be completed in June and will be ready for occupancy by the beneficiaries by the third quarter of this year.

JRMP II spokesperson Steve Cordero said the resettlement project i n Sitio Agburi, Barangay Cahigon, Calinog was 55.33 percent complete as of last week of March.

It was supposed to be completed in the first quarter of this year but the incessant rains since December 2021 slowed down the construction. The contractor requested for an extension.

“Based on their revised schedule they are still on track,” said Cordero.

All the site development and needed facilities such as the multipurpose hall will be completed by the end of 2022.

All those to be relocated are expected to transfer to the resettlement site a year before the completion of the mega dam project set on Dec. 29, 2023.

The beneficiaries are those whose houses are expected to be submerged during the filling up of the JRMP II high dam.

The National Irrigation ( NIA) that is implementing the mega dam project has partnered with the National Housing Authority ( NHA), which provided P20 million as its counterpart for the housing project.

Each of the 32 houses has a floor area of 35 square meters built on a 150-square meter lot.

“This is the very first housing project under the NHA Housing Assistance Program for Indigenous Peoples in

Western Visayas and first time for NHA to partner with NIA for the relocation,” Cordero said.

Five of the 32 beneficiaries already received t heir Certificate of Lot Allocation during t he I ntegra t ed Sustainable Assistance Recovery and Advancement Program (ISARAP) held in the town of Pototan in Iloilo on

April 30.

Meantime, the overall physical accomplishment of the JRMP II was at 48.37 percent as of March 2022.

I t i s expected t o be completed in December 2023 and will already start its operation in 2024.

JRMP II, which is the biggest irrigation project outside of

Luzon, is expected to provide irrigation to 31,840 hectares of farmlands in Iloilo, generate 6.6 megawatts of hydroelectric power, 86 million liters per day of bulk water supply for the province and city, and generate eco-cultural tourism opportunities and mitigate flooding in Calinog and nearby towns.