TARLAC CITY, Philippines – Officials of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Region 3 announced Wednesday the recently approved budget for the construction of the P16.09-billion Balog-Balog Multipurpose (BBM) dam in San Jose town here.

The RDC disclosed that “the rock-fill dam, which is part of the second phase of the BBM project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), will be about 113.5 meters from the riverbed to the crest with water storage capacity of 625 million cubic meters.”

The facility is expected to render irrigation services to an additional 21,935 hectares of farmlands in the province, increasing the total irrigation service area of the BBM project to 34,410 hectares.

A reservoir of around 1,800 hectares within the edifice will be utilized for tilapia production.

Once constructed and fully operated by 2016, the BBM dam is projected to produce an incremental crop yield of 116.7 thousand metric tons of rice per year with an estimated value of $34.72 million and 93.55 thousand metric tons of tilapia per year with a net production of P506 million.

Apart from irrigation and fishery, the RDC 3 bared that “Balog-balog dam will also be complemented with a hydro-electric power plant with a total installed capacity of 43.5 megawatts that can supply the present power requirements of Tarlac City or four medium-sized towns with an aggregate population of about 250,000.”

The RDC 3 is the highest policy-making body in Central Luzon and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the subnational level.

It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region and serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.

Council members include all governors, city mayors, municipal mayors of capital towns, presidents of municipal mayors league, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives from the private sector.

Meanwhile, the newly restored state-of-the-art modern hospital in Magalang, Pampanga with at least P35 million worth of upgraded facilities is set to open this Monday, Jan. 9, as part of Gov. Lilia G. Pineda’s health and medical services modernization program in the province.

Pineda said P35 million was spent for the rehabilitation and construction of the new building at Don Andres Luciano Memorial Hospital (DALMH) in Barangay San Pablo, Magalang town in the first district of this province.

The budget was part of the P700 million released by Pineda in 2011 for her projects on health, education, livelihood infrastructure and other projects.

Pineda was met by George Samson, president and CEO of the Detroit, Michigan-based World Medical Relief Inc., First District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin and Magalang Mayor Romy Pecson at the Clark Freeport to finalize the plans for the hospital’s opening next week.