NIA sets Jalaur Dam civil works completion in 2027

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The National Irrigation Administration said the remaining civil works for the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Stage II in Calinog, Iloilo, are targeted for completion by October 2027.

The updated timeline follows the approval of fresh funding secured to complete the largest water reservoir project outside Luzon.

NIA-6 regional manager and JRMP II concurrent project manager Jonel Borres said the Economy and Development Council, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., approved the request to restructure the JRMP II budget.

The restructuring resulted in Marcos’ approval of an additional PHP5.96 billion to complete the project’s irrigation component.

The allocation is included in the 2026 General Appropriations Bill, which is pending Senate deliberations.

The additional funding will cover the construction of the highline and main canals, as well as new lateral canals stretching about 55.3 kilometers.

The canals are intended to support irrigation development, bulk water supply, and hydroelectric power generation, among other key benefits.

The expanded irrigation systems are expected to serve an additional 9,500 hectares of agricultural land and benefit around 25,000 farmers across multiple Iloilo towns.

While civil works are targeted for completion by June 2027, Borres said the entire project is expected to be fully completed by December 2027.

He said the loan validity for JRMP II has also been extended by the EDC until Nov. 15, 2026.

NIA-6 emphasized the role of the dam in mitigating widespread flooding in Iloilo during Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan.

Borres said the massive reservoir capacity of Jalaur High Dam helped regulate water flow during heavy rains and reduced downstream flood risk.

He said the dam stored around 19.5 million cubic meters of water, equivalent to roughly 7,800 Olympic-size swimming pools.