Aquino blasts critics of dam
ACCESS roads are being built leading to the proposed mega dam project in Calinog, Iloilo.
ILOILO CITY—President Aquino blasted critics of an P11-billion dam project in a town in Iloilo province, saying it had been conceptualized in the 1960s but opposition came only now 55 years later.
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Speaking during a short program after inspecting infrastructure projects in Iloilo, Mr. Aquino said he was saddened by opposition to the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) II, which seeks to bring irrigation to hundreds of farms in the province and generate electricity.
“This irrigation project has been planned since the 1960s. Somebody decided to oppose and complain against this 55 years later,” the President said.
He said he could not understand “people who know nothing but to find fault in what we’re doing right.”
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JRMP II is the second of a two-stage project aimed at tapping the Jalaur River, one of the major rivers of Panay, for irrigation and power generation.
It involves the construction of three dams (reservoir, afterbay and catch dams), a 6.6- megawatt hydro power plant and an 81-kilometer high line canal.
The project is funded by a $203-million loan from the South Korean government through its Export-Import Bank’s Economic Cooperation Fund with a counterpart fund from the Philippine government amounting to P2.2 billion.
The megadam is the largest reservoir dam outside of Luzon and considered the biggest infrastructure investment in Western Visayas.
Proponents and supporters of the project have insisted that JRMP II will boost agricultural production, water supply and generate employment.
