NIA bares multi-million peso irrigation projects

By BONG PEDALINO (PIA Southern Leyte)
May 8, 2008

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte  –  The eighteen towns and one city of Southern Leyte province stand to benefit some P82 million in irrigation projects for calendar year 2008 alone, on top of over P600 million total worth of similar water-for-ricefarms projects listed as priority but qualified “for later years.”

This much was disclosed by Engr. Jose Babiano, Provincial Irrigation Officer of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) office here, during the recent Provincial Development Council (PDC) meeting held at RK Kangleon Function House, this city.

The disclosure of the multi-million peso farm irrigation projects before the PDC body was NIA’s way of seeking PDC intervention, wherein a resolution was passed endorsing the said projects to the Regional Development Council (RDC), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), and eventually to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for funding requirements.

Babiano said the NIA head office has made available at least three windows to access financing for irrigation needs, like the Balikatan-Sagip-Balik-Patubig (BSBP) program, P2 billion program, and the P1 billion program.

All these, Babiano said, were meant to rehabilitate damaged communal irrigation systems (CIS), or build new ones, involving thousands of hectares of ricefields nationwide, in a massive effort to intensify rice production and, in the process, gradually stem the tide of the lingering rice price crisis.

A copy of NIA’s priority projects for 2008 which was obtained through the provincial planning office showed six CIS due for rehabilitation, consisting an area about to be restored at 82 hectares, with a new CIS covering 20 hectares included to be built, and a combined cost of P12.8 million.

These included the Ilihan CIS in Hinundayan, another at Badiang, Maasin; San Vicente, Malitbog; Hingatungan-Salvacion, Hinunangan; Sudmon-Guimbaloan, Silago; and one at Bolod-bolod, Saint Bernard, a new project.

There was only one project under the BSBP, and this was the rehabilitation of the Catmon, Saint Bernard, communal irrigation, worth P3 million.

For the Agrarian Reform Irrigation Supplementation project (ARISP III), two irrigation projects in the town of Silago, for barangays Hingatungan and Katipunan, will be served, for a combined cost of P65.85 million, where 183 hectares of old irrigated farms will be restored, and 317 hectares of new irrigated areas will be covered.

Meanwhile, a copy for the list of priority projects for later years showed 26 irrigation projects in 14 local government units, covering an area to be restored at 694 hectares plus 1,467 hectares targeted for new irrigation, with a total cost of P648.32 million.

Southern Leyte province has about 9,000 hectares of ricefarms, according to the provincial agriculture office.