P2.1-B irrigation system to be built in Cotabato’s oldest settlement
A P2.1-billion irrigation project will be built in Pikit, North Cotabato to bolster agriculture production in the province, according to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
“Once this project is realized, it will further boost the agricultural productivity in the area that would redound to achieving peace and order and socioeconomic development and ultimately improve the lives of our farmers in this part of Central Mindanao,” the agency said in a statement. To be installed in Lower Malitubog, the project is designed to irrigate about 800 hectares of agricultural land.
“This coincides [with] the directive to prioritize, intensify and accelerate the implementation of development initiatives such as irrigation facilities for the improvement of BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao),” it added.
The agency is also fast-tracking the completion of the P5.133-billion Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Phase II (MMIP II) by December this year amid challenges to peace and order, security and natural calamities.
“At present, residents cannot even plant corn because of the area’s susceptibility to flooding,” it added.
The MMIP II was supposed to be completed in 2018 but NIA encountered various challenges which slowed down implementation.
