P-Noy OKs P600M for Malinao Dam upgrade

Malinao Dam, Pilar, Bohol

By: June S. Blanco

THE upgrading of the Malinao Dam in Pilar town is one step closer with the project’s approval by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board chaired by Pres. Benigno Aquino III, with matching allocation of P600 million for the physical works in the General appropriations Act.

Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado (Bohol, 2nd District) teamed up with Engr. Modesto Membreve, deputy administrator for operations and engineering of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to push the upgrading project that had suffered six previous disapprovals by the NEDA Board.

Aumentado said the approval came after Membreve presented to the Board the perspective that finally swayed the Aquino-led body to act favorably on the Malinao Dam upgrading proposal.

To note, Membreve and Aumentado’s namesake father and predecessor, Rep. Erico Boyles Aumentado, were largely responsible in developing the upgrading project. With top honchos of NIA, both had presented the proposal in Seoul, South Korea to the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and former Ambassador to the Philippines Joong Kyung Choi who went on to become Minister of Knowledge Economy.

The visit earned a grant for the feasibility study and detailed engineering design from KOICA, pushed by Choi, who was adopted as son of Bohol during the incumbency of the elder Aumentado as governor.

The elder Aumentado had said a mere two-meter height increase of the present dam will double its impounding capacity from five million to nine or 10 million cubic meters of water.

The increase will solve the problem forwarded by farmers and landowners whose lots, with higher elevation, are not reached by the irrigation water.

The dam was originally designed to irrigate 4,740 hectares of which only 3,000 hectares were reached. The upgrade assures that the rest in the original plan – even more – will also be irrigated.

The regular and sufficient supply of spells two croppings a year for the rice farmers – more harvest and even a third cropping for the year if the farmers apply rice ratooning.

Ratooning is allowing the rice stumps after harvesting to develop shoots again and mature before the next regular planting season. With irrigation and fertilizer, the shoots can give a good second harvest from the same planting material.

Links:

• Bohol Standard Newspaper - [website]
• Photo by Delta Mike - [Panoramio]