Regions Briefs

Hydroplants along irrigation canals

CABANATUAN CITY—Administrators of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) are proposing to build small hydroelectric plants along its canals to maximize the water resource. A 1-megawatt power plant is now being operated by FirstGen Hydro Power Corp. along a portion of UPRIIS canal in Rizal town in Nueva Ecija province, said Florentino David, UPRIIS department manager of the National Irrigation Administration. UPRIIS serves over 100,000 hectares of farms in Nueva Ecija and portions of Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac provinces. “Water we keep in reservoirs should have multiple purposes. For example, before releasing it for irrigation, the water should help generate electricity first,” David said. —ARMAND GALANG

Marinduque gets gov’t aid

SAN PEDRO CITY—The Department of Agriculture (DA) would give fishermen, who lost their boats after Typhoon “Nina” (international name: Nock-Ten) lashed the island province last month, cash aid to recover from the typhoon’s impact. Rolando Josue, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the fishermen would be taught to rebuild their boats using fiber glass. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol inspected typhoon damage in the province on Jan. 4. Arman Pedrigal, provincial agriculturist, said the national government would distribute 50  boats in each of the six towns in Marinduque. The DA also distributed P3 million worth of planting materials to local farmers. —MARICAR CINCO