Irrigation facilities rehab to generate 123,000 jobs

MANILA, Philippines – The restoration and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities covering 200,000 hectares of farmlands will generate nearly 123,000 jobs, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Administrator Carlos Salazar said.

In a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, Salazar said the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities this year will cover 68,000 hectares of land, while the restoration phase will cover 133,000 hectares.

Rehabilitation involves minor repairs of canals and the sustenance of irrigation areas, while restoration entails the repair of canal structures, diversion works and excavations to make non-functional irrigated areas serviceable.

Salazar reported that the rehabilitation and restoration projects for irrigation facilities would benefit lands in Mindanao and the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle.

For Mindanao, Salazar said, the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities would cover 14,700 hectares, while the restoration will cover another 29,300 hectares to create 22,200 jobs.

In the NLAQ, the rehabilitation will service an additional 25,400 hectares and the restoration another 50,000 hectares to generate 46,300 jobs, he said.

For the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway, excluding the National Capital Region, Salazar said the target is the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities in 7,500 hectares and the restoration in 14,700 hectares for a total of 13,700 jobs.

In Central Philippines, the work will cover 17,400 hectares for rehabilitation and 33,700 hectares for restoration to create 31,200 jobs.

“The irrigation projects are estimated to cost P8 billion with a total of 88,700 farmers directly benefitting from the repair and rehabilitation works,” Salazar said.

The rehabilitation of irrigation facilities is being undertaken in line with the government’s Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP).

The CLEEP program has so far helped 9,400 beneficiaries in Cagayan Valley and an initial 343 beneficiaries in the Central Visayan province who have availed of loans under the credit assistance package for agrarian reform beneficiaries.