ILOILO CITY (PNA) — The Aquino administration’s flagship project in Iloilo spearheaded by Senator Franklin M. Drilon will definitely push the province as the top rice producing area, and possibly become a rice granary of the Philippines.

This was the assessment of Regional Director Gerardo Corsiga of the National Irrigation System after the national government is set to push through with the P11.2 billion Jalaur River Multi-purpose Project II (JRMP II) in Calinog, Iloilo, within this year.

Corsiga said that the JRMP II also means the modernization and rehabilitation of existing river irrigation systems (RIS) in the province of Iloilo covering 22,340 hectares, and opening up of 9,500 hectares of new areas for rice production.

The irrigation of some 32,000 hectares of farmlands is expected to increase rice production from 140,000 metric tons to 240,000 metric tons in the province, enough to establish Iloilo as a premier rice producing area.

JRMP II is slated for completion before the term of President Aquino ends in 2016.

Aside from irrigation, the project will also deliver potable water at one cubic meter per second, and 6.6 megawatts of hydropower.

Corsiga said the multi-billion-peso project will have better water management due to water catchment upstream and irrigation system.

With three dams as main feature of the project, it will also create a 600 to 800 hectares lake with 100 meters deep as tourism potential in the upper Calinog area.

Included under the JRMP four packages are the repair and rehabilitation of the river irrigation systems, such as the repair and rehabilitation of the Suage River Irrigation System (RIS), Sta. Barbara RIS including desilting of canals, re-channeling and de-silting of the Aganan RIS, and the repair and rehabilitation of the Sibalom RIS.

The package will also include the construction of access roads and drainage structures at the dam site, slope erosion control using coconut mattress at the Aganan RIS drainage outfall, rehabilitation of the Mambog dam, improvement of canal outfall, rehab of the Jalaur-Suage RIS and canalization, diversion works in the villages of Calmay and Tambal in Janiuay, construction of all weather roads, construction of road crossing structure at San Jose-San Miguel road and many other rehab works along the RIS.