From Ninoy to Noynoy: The promise that is Balog Balog

SAN JOSE, Tarlac, Philippines—A mega dam in western Tarlac that can generate power and irrigate farmlands was one of the projects that martyred former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. had dreamed for his province. This was, in fact, included in his campaign materials when he ran for governor in 1965.

Forty-six years later, the project is being reevaluated in the hope that before the term of President Benigno Aquino ends, he would finally see the full fruition of his father’s wish for his province mates.

The Balog Balog Multipurpose Project (BBMP) has been in and out of the government’s drawing board, depending on the prevailing political climate. Located in Barangay Maamot, 48 kilometers west of Tarlac City, it was once part of the provincial capital but is now part of San Jose town.

It had been on the priority list of projects for World Bank (WB) funding during the term of President Ferdinand Marcos. Some said it was disapproved by the WB because it was too ambitious, while others said the late dictator held it back because the project is in Tarlac, the bailiwick of the elder Aquino, his political rival.

When Aquino’s widow, Corazon, assumed the presidency in 1986, the project resurfaced. Touted as the biggest singular project of her administration, the BBMP was expected to irrigate about 39,000 hectares of farmlands and put in place a 33-megawatt (MW) hydropower plant.

Its cost was then pegged at P3.7 billion, to be financed by a soft loan from the Italian government, with the Philippine government putting in a 50-percent equity. Annual loan interest was 1.5 percent, with a grace period of 10 years.

The project would have taken six years to complete.

But with President Corazon Aquino inheriting a deficit, the government had a hard time putting up equity. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the project was set aside.

In 2000, it was resurrected. Then President Joseph Estrada, accompanied by Aquino’s sister, former Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta, inspected the area.

Under Estrada, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) approved the implementation of the BBMP. It was proposed for funding to the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) at P12.04 billion.

Vicente Vicmudo, BBMP manager, said the project was suspended as the JBIC then had an ongoing project in Central Luzon. Under its policies, it could only finance one project per region at a time.

Under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the BBMP was mothballed anew. The most attention it got was to be included among the build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects proposed by the government through the Department of Trade and Industry, at an estimated cost of P18.8 billion.

Today, under the Aquino administration, the project had been resubmitted and is now with Neda for reevaluation. It is expected to get the Neda board’s approval and be one of the priority projects for 2012.