The National Irrigation Authority (NIA) is gearing up to start the P20.7 billion Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project (PRBIDP) in Capiz by 2026, or earlier if they can secure savings by 2025.
NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen announced that preparations are underway, with the agency set to begin acquiring the necessary rights of way and permits next year.
Guillen assured that the project would kick off promptly with all essential data already compiled. He mentioned that the project design could be put out for bidding within three years of implementation.
If a qualified quadruple-A contractor is secured, the Panay River Basin could be completed before President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s administration ends in 2028.
The project aims to address flooding across 26,800 hectares in Capiz, generate 18.42 megawatts of hydroelectric power, and supply three cubic meters of water per second to neighboring towns.
The PRBIDP will feature a reservoir dam in Barangay Acuña and an afterbay dam in Barangay Garcia in Tapaz, creating 13,950 hectares of new irrigable areas. This development is expected to benefit 25,046 farmers and 9,378 indigenous households.
The project will cover multiple municipalities in Capiz and Iloilo, including Roxas City, Maayon, Panay, Panitan, Pontevedra, Cuartero, Dao, Dumalag, Jamindan, Mambusao, Sigma, and Tapaz in Capiz, and Bingawan, San Rafael, and Lemery in Iloilo.
Guillen highlighted that the catchment basin of the Panay River Basin would be 10 times larger than that of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project in Calinog, Iloilo. They are also exploring the possibility of augmenting water from the Panay River Basin to JRMP II through a transbasin tunnel.
In 2022, the Western Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council passed a resolution calling for the phase-by-phase implementation of the project, recognizing it as a long-term solution to address flooding in Capiz.
