Thirty-two housing units were officially turned over Tuesday to Indigenous Peoples (IP) families affected by the second stage of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project (JRMP II).

The IP Housing Project, located in Sitio Agburi, Barangay Cahigon in Calinog town, is for families whose houses were submerged by water in the reservoir and the buffer zone.

It is situated approximately 10 km. upstream of the dam project to ensure they cannot be reached by water.

“The recipients opted for a group relocation or the house-to-house compensation. Each family availed of a 35-square-meter single detached house in a 150-square-meter lot,” Steve Cordero, the OIC Division Manager for Institutional Development of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) 6 (Western Visayas), said in an interview on Wednesday.

He said NIA has committed to providing the families with individual titles.

The resettlement site has a water system funded by Iloilo’s provincial government, and a sewerage system connected to wastewater management.

Soon to be established is a multi-purpose building and a multi-purpose pavement.

“Our relocation is part of our 140 commitments. Around 85 percent of the 140 have been complied with, including this relocation,” he said.

Other commitments will be delivered during the operation of the project.

In addition to housing, NIA will establish a community livelihood area adjacent to the relocation site to be managed by the homeowners’ association.

“On top of that, we have a commitment for each affected family for an income restoration through the provision of a livelihood program worth PHP40,000 and up. For this, we partner with the Department of Labor and Employment,” Cordero said.

As of September, the overall physical accomplishment of the JRMP II is 80.90 percent.

The three dams are already completed, but still ongoing is the construction of the irrigation components, including the high-line canal and portions of the mini-lateral canals.

The target is to finish all components by June 2027. (PNA)