The government, through the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP), has permitted five Communal Irrigation system (CIS) projects in Banaue worth PHP 30.42 million.
The initiatives are geared closer to countrywide rice sufficiency, regular supply of irrigation water, and rehabilitating deserted rice terraces within the Cordilleras.
The irrigation projects are positioned within the top heirloom rice generating barangays of Banaue, Ifugao:
- Amganad
- Viewpoint
- Bocos
- Poitan
- Kinakin
- Luutan
- Imbangnge
Elvys Taquio of the PRDP, an attached unit of the department of Agriculture-Cordillera said on Friday the projects are:
- The development of the Amchu-uy – Bae CIS worth PHP 2.26 million
- Improvement of the Luutan-Imbangnge-Bayungon CIS worth PHP 7.27 million
- Iprovement of Bongbongna-Poitan CIS amounting to PHP 7.33 million
- Improvement of the Aparnga-o-Ligligan CIS well worth PHP 6.768 million
- The improvement of Aparnga-o – Ki-iyang CIS project worth PHP 6.77 million
He said that when finished, the CIS projects are anticipated to increase the number of irrigated regions within the location, and consequently, enhance rice yields.
Taquio stated that the irrigation initiatives, upon completion, would be turned over to the beneficiary communities for management and preservation.
He associated that a pre-construction conference was held last February 27 that gathered the Municipal Project Management and Enforcing Unit (MPMIU) and the subproject contractors wherein PRDP policies were clarified to keep away from undertaking delays.
Covered within the dialogue had been the necessities and process flow for the release of funds, payment to the contractors, procurement, development monitoring thru geo-tagging, social and environmental concerns, and production supervision requirements.
Taquio stated some of the concerns aired by the contractors that might cause delays were the locals’ cultural practices and rituals.
PRDP projects are foreign-funded and observe stringent policies and approaches to assure proper undertaking implementation.
