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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – The construction of the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) Phase 2 in Calinog, Iloilo will most likely start by the first quarter of 2018, according to National Irrigation Administration (NIA) regional manager Engr. Gerardo Corsiga.
The NIA Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) already concluded the post-qualification process for the project contractor in South Korea, he said.
NIA is now waiting for the needed documents so it could issue a “notice to proceed.”
The mega dam was a priority project of the previous Aquino administration. Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon lobbied for it. The Jalaur River would be harnessed for irrigation and power generation.
The project, however, hit a legal snag last year. A project bidder, the South Korean contractor Daewoo, filed a case against NIA’s BAC.
“Hulaton ta by December may ara na kita award(ing of contract) and hopefully masulod na ang contractor by January,” Corsiga said.
JRMP is intended to augment agricultural production, stimulate agri-industrial activities, spur the local economy and the eco-tourism industry, increase employment opportunities and contribute to the development of the province of Iloilo in particular and Western Visayas in general.
Last December 2016 the Regional Trial Court, Branch 84 in Quezon City stopped the BAC from conducting a rebidding after declaring the first one a failure.
It then ordered NIA to re-evaluate Daewoo’s bid and that of the other bidder, Daelim, also a South Korean company.
Daewoo accused the BAC of grave abuse of authority. It submitted a bid of P8.6 billion, lower than the P11.2-billion project cost.
In declaring the first bidding a failure, NIA’s BAC said the two bidders failed to meet the requirements.
Daewoo failed to submit a lump sum price analysis while Daelim lacked documents to prove its financial capability, according to the BAC.
NIA’s central office filed a motion asking the Quezon City RTC to reconsider its ruling stopping the rebidding.
The project involved the construction of three dams, a 6.6-megawatt hydropower plant and an 81-kilometer canal.
The implementation of the JRMP was mandated under Republic Act 2651 enacted by Congress in 1960.
Phase 1 of the project, which consisted of rehabilitating the irrigation systems with an area of 22,340 hectares, was completed in 1983.
Phase 2, however, was never implemented since 1988 due to lack of funds./PN
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