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)
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