Jalaur River project advances govt’s food security agenda

The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II, Iloilo province’s largest irrigation development, is expected to advance President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s food security agenda by expanding year-round water access for farms.

The National Irrigation Administration said JRMP II was 86.16% complete as of June 2026 and remained on track for completion by the end of 2027, with full operations expected in 2028.

The project is designed to drive agriculture-based development in Iloilo and across Western Visayas while improving the livelihoods of farmers, farm workers and their families.

Authorized under Republic Act 2651 in 1960, the Jalaur project completed its first stage in 1982 before Stage II was revived through a loan agreement between the Philippines and South Korea in 2012.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated the project’s three major dams in Calinog on July 16, 2024, although work continued on the canals and other irrigation components.

JRMP II includes three dams and an estimated 214 kilometers of irrigation canals within the Jalaur River Basin, the second-largest river system on Panay Island.

Once fully operational, the project will expand NIA’s irrigation service area by 9,500 hectares, covering rain-fed agricultural lands in 17 Iloilo municipalities and benefiting an estimated 7,000 farmers and farm workers.

JRMP II will also augment the water supply of five existing national irrigation systems with a combined service area of about 22,340 hectares, directly benefiting around 17,000 farmers.

With an adequate year-round irrigation supply, the project is expected to raise annual rice production to 338,874 metric tons, up 71.54% from the current 197,545 metric tons.

Beyond irrigation and agriculture-based development, JRMP II is expected to support hydroelectric power generation, bulk water supply, eco-cultural tourism, flood mitigation and employment.

The project’s bulk water component is designed to supply about 86,400 cubic meters, or 86.4 million liters, of water per day for domestic and industrial use in Iloilo City and nearby areas.

NIA has positioned the bulk water component as a sustainable way to help address persistent water supply constraints amid continued development and population growth in Iloilo City and the province.

The project’s 6.6-megawatt hydroelectric power component is also expected to provide Iloilo with clean and renewable energy.

NIA said the project could spur economic growth not only in Iloilo City and the province but also across Western Visayas.

True to its slogan, “Katuwang sa Kauswagan,” or A Partner in Progress, JRMP II represents the promise of better livelihoods, agricultural development and greater food security for Ilonggo families.