ILOILO — After years of uncertainty over their ancestral lands, 32 Indigenous Peoples (IP) families from the Panay Bukidnon community have finally resettled in newly built homes in Sitio Agburi, Barangay Cahigon, Calinog town — a milestone in the government’s relocation effort for communities displaced by the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage II (JRMP II).
The turnover ceremony on October 28 marked the completion of the relocation site developed under the project’s Land Acquisition and Resettlement Action Plan (LARAP), part of the broader initiative to mitigate the social impact of the multi-billion-peso dam project.
Each beneficiary received a 35-square-meter single-detached unit built on a 150-square-meter lot. The site, developed through the joint efforts of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), National Housing Authority (NHA), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the Iloilo provincial government, includes access to water facilities and group livelihood programs.
According to NIA Region 6 acting regional manager and JRMP II project manager Engr. Jonel Borres, the project seeks to ensure that the displaced families are not only provided with houses but also integrated into a safe and sustainable community.
Through spokesperson Steve Cordero, he reminded beneficiaries: “These houses are now yours. Take care of them, take care of this new village.”
NHA regional manager Rizalino Cabahug said the project is implemented under the agency’s Housing Assistance Program for Indigenous Peoples (HAPIP), which integrates indigenous culture and traditional community layouts into its planning.
“We want this relocation to respect their culture and to give them a foundation for a better future,” Cabahug said.
While the relocation has provided security of tenure for the affected Panay Bukidnon families, challenges remain in rebuilding livelihoods and preserving cultural traditions that once thrived in the uplands now submerged by the project’s reservoir.
The provincial government has installed water systems at the site, while additional livelihood and community development support from other agencies is expected in the coming months.
Officials from the NHA, NCIP, the JRMP II Multi-Partite Monitoring Team, and local IP leaders including Barangay Captain Jinky Lumogdang and Council of Elders Chieftain Delia Lucio attended the turnover.
Funded through a Korean government loan, the JRMP II is the largest irrigation project in Western Visayas. It aims to supply water to over 31,000 hectares of farmland, but has faced criticism from environmental and IP groups concerned about its long-term social and ecological impact./PN
