Cateel Irrigation Dam, a model MRDP project

DAVAO DEL NORTE, October 29 (PIA) - - Officials of the Mindanao Rural Development Project (MRDP) hailed the Cateel Irrigation Dam as a model project for the implementation of the Philippine Rural Development Project.

Dir. Lealyn Ramos, MRDP program director, stressed yesterday (October 28) during the inauguration ceremony of the Cateel Irrigation Dam that the project showed the dedication of the people of Davao Oriental and the strong partnership of the local government unit (LGU) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in pursuing the project despite all odds.

“The legacy of the project, which withstands surmountable challenges, will leave as an imprint as we go further and into the implementation of the PRDP,” Director Ramos said.

The irrigation dam, which was identified as the biggest MRDP project both physically and financially costing around P 281-million, was constructed for only seven months. The project was scheduled to be finished for two and a half years; however, initial development was washed away by Typhoons Pablo and Agaton.

To finish the project, the provincial government employed around 700 individuals to work three shifts a day and needed around 5,000 bags of cement daily.

Carol Figueroa-Geron, lead operations office of the World Bank, added that the project showed that there is a level-up in the relationship of the local government unit and the national government through the DA in project collaboration.

“Your partnership and dedication will be an example and inspiration for the PRDP as it will also implement project for the Yolanda victims. If they doubted that they can move forward and make a project, we will tell them to learn from you,” Geron said.

She said that because of the project, many would be eager to visit the province, specifically Cateel, to study on how the irrigation dam was being constructed and eventually implemented.

Meanwhile, Gov. Corazon Malanyaon emphasized that the project was a shared dreams of the people of Cateel and the province as a whole.

“The project is a monument of our answered prayer, a symbol of resiliency and hardwork and an example of what we could do with a will to achieve,” Governor Malanyaon said.

Malanyaon challenged the farmers and irrigators to protect and nurture the project as the dam’s sustainability will now rely on them. (PIA 11, Michael Uy)