President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in his 3rd State of the Nation Address on July 22, 2024 expressed pride in the completion of Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) in Panay Island.
JRMP Stage II is an infrastructure flagship project under the “Build Better More” program of his administration. It is the first large-scale water reservoir in the Visayas.
He stresse that JRMP II is the largest water reservoir outside of Luzon and that the project is set to enhance agricultural productivity significantly.
In an earlier report of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in Western Visayas, agricultural productivity specifically mentioned that the project is set to expand irrigated land by 31,840 hectares and benefit 24,000 farmers.
The project also includes flood control measures, indigenous people’s housing, inland aquaculture and fisheries, and ecotourism.
Further, JRMP II has hydroelectric power and bulk water supply components.
“Patutunayan ng proyekto sa Jalaur River ang pinalalawig na potensyal ng irigasyon; hindi na lamang patubig sa sakahan, ito na rin ay magagamit sa pagkontrol ng baha, paglikha ng kuryente at pati na rin sa turismo,” the President underscored.
As for electric power, he pointed out the significance of the energization of the P67.98-billion Cebu-Negros-Panay 230kV backbone project, among other initiatives toward a unified Philippine power grid.
The energization showcased the strengthening and continued improvement of the transmission network in the Visayas that padded further power interruptions in Western Visayas in April to June 2024.
“Nadagdagan natin ang microgram, off-grid systems, at missionary small power utilities na sinusuportahan ng solar power; ang inagurasyon ng transmission lines tulad ng Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose, Cebu-Negros-Panay, at Dumanjug-Corella (Cebu and Bohol) Line; ang pagsasama-sama ng Mindanao, Visayas, at Luzon power grids na naging posible na ngayon ang energy sharing ng Luzon, Visayas, at Mindanao; ang paglulunsad ng Lifeline Rate program; ang pansamantalang pagsuspinde ng FIT-All Tariff at Wholesale Electricity Spot Market; at ang pagpapatupad ng Anti-Bill Shock program. Dahil sa energization ng Cebu-Negros-Panay grid, naiwasan ang power outages mula Abril hanggang Hunyo sa kabila ng yellow at red alerts,” the President further said.
