THE REQUEST for an extension of the loan validity for the long-delayed P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) II has been granted, according to a National Irrigation Administration-Western Visayas (NIA-6) official. Engr. Roberto Lapeña, principal engineer of the JRMP II Project Coordinator’s Office, said the loan validity extension also means an extension on the implementation schedule. “With the extension of 46 months, the project implementation will expire September 2021 and the loan validity on March 28, 2022,” he said. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee approved NIA’s request to extend the validity of the loan as well as the project’s construction period for 46 months. Mr. Lapeña said they are aiming to break ground for the project by January 2018 as they are now finalizing the procurement of the civil works and waiting for the concurrence of the lending institution, the Korean Export-Import (EXIM) Bank. JRMP II — which involves the construction of three dams, a 6.6-megawatt hydropower plant,and an 81-kilometer highline canal — is funded by an P8.9-billion loan from the Korean EXIM Bank and a P2.3-billion counterpart from the Philippine government. The project aims to irrigate 33,000 hectares of rice lands in Iloilo. — Louine Hope U. Conserva

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