NIA-6 turns over housing project to 32 IP families in Calinog

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The National Irrigation Administration Region 6 (NIA-6) formally turned over 32 housing units to Indigenous Peoples (IP) families affected by the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) during a ceremony on Tuesday, October 28, in Sitio Agburi, Barangay Cahigon, Calinog.

Each beneficiary family received a 35-square-meter single-detached house on a 150-square-meter lot under the National Housing Authority (NHA) Housing Assistance Program for Indigenous Peoples.

The project marks the first of its kind in Western Visayas and the first collaboration between NIA and NHA.

The NHA provided PHP 20 million in counterpart funding, while the Iloilo Provincial Government ensured access to potable water for the new community.

The housing site serves as a relocation area for families displaced by the filling of the JRMP II high dam.

Beneficiaries also received livelihood assistance to help sustain their resettlement.

Present during the turnover ceremony were NHA Regional Manager Engr. Rizalino Cabahug, NHA Iloilo-Guimaras District Officer in Charge Engr. Rolly Baldomero, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Development Management Officer V Hazel Acse, NIA-6 Officer in Charge–Division Manager for Institutional Development Steve Cordero, Barangay Captain Jinky Lumogdang, and IP Housing Homeowners’ Association President Eduardo Liza Sr.

Atty. Cesar Emmanuelle Buyco Jr., head of the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) and chairperson of the JRMP II Multipartite Monitoring Team, represented Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. at the event.

The JRMP II, the largest irrigation project outside Luzon, aims to irrigate more than 31,000 hectares of farmland in Iloilo province, generate 6.6 megawatts of hydroelectric power, produce 86 million liters per day of bulk water supply, promote eco-cultural tourism, and help mitigate flooding in Calinog and nearby municipalities.