NIA to inaugurate 23 projects in 3 months

On May 18, 2021

The reservoir of the newly-completed Barbar Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (Barbar SRIP) in Ilocos Sur province costing P631 million that was inaugurated by the agency last May 6, 2021, headed by NIA administrator Ricardo ‘Bong’ Visaya (photo credit: NIA).

THE National Irrigation Administration (NIA) headed by former Armed Forces chief, Ricardo ‘Bong’ Visaya, is set to inaugurate at least 23 completed projects between the month of May and August this year all over the country as its way of helping the economy recover from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

NIA administrator and former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ricardo ‘Bong’ Visaya.

“True to its commitment of providing efficient, reliable, and sustainable irrigation service to the Filipino farmers despite the prevalence of pandemic situation, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) ensures timely and effective management of its irrigation projects nationwide,” Visaya said in a statement release by his office last May 12, 2021.

“For the month of May to August 2021, the Agency is set to conduct numerous inaugurations, groundbreaking ceremonies, field visits, and site inspections to closely monitor the status of all construction and operation and maintenance (O&M) activities on ground,” he added.

Already, some of the ‘big-ticket’ projects completed by the agency this year include four separate irrigation projects in the province of Bohol totaling P913 million and the P631 million ‘Barbar Small Reservoir Irrigation Project’ (Barbar SRIP) in Ilocos Sur that Visaya personally inaugurated last May 6, 2021.

For this month, Visaya also announced the completion and turnover last May 11, 2021, of two solar-powered irrigation projects in Naguilian, Isabela province worth P4.3 million.

The project, which can irrigate some 10 hectares of farmlands all year round is also seen to benefit particularly the farmers and residents of Bgy. Aguinaldo and Bgy. Minallo in Naguilan.

The NIA calendar of activities for the next three months highlighted by the inauguration of projects aimed at helping the country’s farmers and the whole economy (image credit to NIA).

Visaya also announced the turnover of the “completed parts” of the Marikit irrigation project costing some P161.5 million that was started in 2016.

The project aims to generate some 225 hectares of new service area for the benefit of farmers and residents within Brgy. Abuyo, Alfonso Castañeda in Nueva Vizcaya and Brgy. Marikit, Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija.

As one of NIA’s “lined projects” under Visaya’s helms, it covers the construction of the Marikit Diversion Dam including conveyance channel, new access road to the dam site, and other areas where new drainage, irrigation facilities and canals are constructed.

Despite the pandemic raging last year, Visaya said the completed sections of the project were turned over last September 11, 2020, to the Marikit – Abuyo Irrigators Association (MAIA) headed by MAIA President Mario T. Portin.

To date, Marikit IP has an overall physical accomplishment of 87.24 percent and its last phase of implementation has resumed in April 2021 with final completion expected by the end of the year.

Based on the NIA calendar of activities, some of the projects expected to be completed and inaugurated in the next three months are:

Bayabas Small Irrigation Project, Doña Remedios Trinidad (DRT), Bulacan; Upper Tabuating Dam, Nueva Ecija; Benliw SRIP, Ubay, Bohol; NISRIP, Pampanga; 1.3MW Mindoro Grid Hydro Power Project, San Manuel, Pangasinan; Peñaranda and San Isidro Solar Pump Irrigation Project, Nueva Ecija;

San Fabian RIS, San Fabian, Pangasinan; Birung SIP, Enrile, Cagayan; Isabela Solar Projects, Isabela; Quipot Irrigation, Project, Tiaong, Quezon; Taisan CIS, Minalabac, Camarines Sur; Punta Diamante CIS, Canaman, Camarines Sur; Region 5 Farmpond; Aklan RIS, Panay Island, Aklan;

Bohol Northeast Basin Multipurpose Dam Proejct, Bohol; Leyte Solar Powered Pump Irrigation Project, Leyte province; Sta. Rita, SRIP, Sta. Rita, Samar; Calbiga River Irrigation Proejct, Calbiga, Samar;

Sibugey River Irrigation Systems, Zamboanga, Sibugay; Upper Saug, Irrigation Project, New Correla, Davao del Norte; Laya West CIP, Tabuk City, Kalinga; and, Umayan Irrigation Project, Loreto Agusan del Sur.