TESDA trains laborers for mega dam construction

• Source:http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2015/11/30/tesda-trains-laborers-for-mega-dam-construction/
• Monday, November 30, 2015

BY GIRLIE PAMA (PN)

ILOILO City – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) offers trainings to those interested to work at the soon-to-start P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) in Calinog, Iloilo.

According to Engineer Jonel Borres, principal engineer of JRMP II, Korean contractors of the mega dam are soon coming over and they will be looking for skilled laborers.

On radio program Reklamo Publiko yesterday, Borres said TESDA and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) had a memorandum of agreement on the training.

NIA is the lead government agency implementing JRMP II.

Borres said members of families affected by the project would be given priority in the hiring of laborers.

All workers will receive a salary and will be registered to PhilHealth, he added.

TESDA already finished training the first batch of workers, said Borres.

JRMP II is the second phase of a two-part project to tap the Jalaur River for multiple uses.

After Republic Act 2651 was passed in 1960, the first phase kicked off. The second phase languished for decades due to lack of government funds.

JRMP II involves the construction of three dams — Jalaur reservoir dam, afterbay dam and a catch dam.

A 6.6-megawatt hydropower plant and an 81-kilometer highline canal will also be constructed.

The mega dam will upgrade the existing irrigation system coverage in Iloilo from 22,000 hectares to 31,840 hectares of farmland. The goal is to increase rice production even during dry spells.

On July 27, 2015 President Benigno Aquino III mentioned the mega dam project in his final State of the Nation Address – the second time he did in two years – to emphasize its importance.

Last year, he defended it from “noisy” critics. He said the dam will provide “uninterrupted irrigation water supply” to Iloilo province.