Calinog, Janiuay barangays get irrigation pipelines, agroforestry support facilities

Convenient access to clean water will soon be realized in the far-flung barangays of Caratagan and Marandig in the town of Calinog and Janiuay, Iloilo province as part of the Forestland Management Project (FMP) being implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Western Visayas.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the Irrigation Pipeline System (IPS) Agroforestry Support Facility (ASF) was conducted in Calinog town recently, which is seen to boost the town’s agricultural sector and to slowly spur on economic growth.

The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Iloilo through its Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Barotac Nuevo led the ground breaking ceremonies of the Irrigation Pipeline System (IPS) Agroforestry Support Facility (ASF) of the Caratagan Upland Sustainable Water Green Association (CUSWGA) in Brgy. Caratagan, Calinog, and the Marandig Upland Sustainable Project Association (MUSPA), a People’s Organization (PO) in Brgy.  Marandig, Calinog.

Iloilo PENR Officer Salvador C. Manglinong, Jr. spearheaded the event in the presence of other PENRO staff, Philippine Army representatives, People’s Organization (PO) members, local government unit (LGUs) and project contractor.

Meanwhile, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Irrigation Pipeline System (IPS) of the Aktibong Mangunguma sa Barangay Atimonan (AMBA) and the Pre-Construction Conference was also recently conducted at Sitio Salay, Atimonan, Janiuay, Iloilo.

FMP Provincial Focal Person Antonio Latoza, Jr., Municipal ENR Officer of Janiuay, CENRO Barotac Nuevo staff, People’s Organization (PO) members, local government unit (LGUs) and project contractor attended the said activity.

The project costs over Php7 million and includes supplies and installation of 5,202 meters of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes with a Standard Dimension Ratio (SDR) 17 located at Suage Sub-watershed in Janiuay, Iloilo.

“This project aims to improve our upland communities’ access to basic necessities such as water and agro-products thereby advancing their quality of life. Slowly but surely, the implementation of the Forestland Management Project is providing holistic solutions both for the people’s economic benefit while also improving our forest condition,” said Francisco E. Milla, Jr., regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 6.

Forestland Management Project (FMP) is a ten-year DENR–Japan International Cooperation Agency project which began in 2012 and shall be completed by 2022. It aims to strengthen forestland management in three critical river basins in the country, namely: Upper Magat and Cagayan, Upper Pampanga, and Jalaur. The implementation is being done through collaborative and comprehensive Community-Based Forest Management strategies. It also aims to improve forest conservation and socio-economic conditions of beneficiaries/communities as well as to contribute in disaster risk mitigation efforts of vulnerable areas. (DENR–6)