The national government inaugurated the San Roque Dam Facility, an irrigation project worth P4.3 billion on Friday, August 8, 2014. Presidential Adviser on Food Security Francis Pangilinan was the guest of honor and speaker during the ceremony. The Presidential Adviser stressed the importance of irrigation in increasing the farmer’s income.
According to Reynaldo Mencias, project manager of the Agno River Integrated Irrigation Program, the construction of the reservoir started way back February 2011, under a soft-loan package of $89.15 million with the China Export-Import Bank.
The builders of the irrigation facility also noted that the structure can store four million cubic meters of water spilled by the hydropower-generating dam, with the said project, an estimated 55,000 hectares will be irrigated particularly in the areas of Pangasinan.
The San Roque Irrigation Facility will benefit the towns of San Manuel, Asingan, Sta. Barbara, Binalonan, Urdaneta City, Villasis, Calasiao, Mapandan, Manaoag, Mangaldan, Laoac and Malasiqui.
The Agno River Integrated Irrigation program noted that the targeted service area could be increased to 70,000 hectares to include some farmlands in Manuel and Moncada in Tarlac and Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija once the Ambayoan-Dipalo River and Lower Agno River irrigation system packages are completed and made operational.
Meanwhile, according to a technical study approved by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Agno River needs P2.65 billion to complete its irrigation package in the next two years.
