Ochoa leads MOA signing for 12.9 billion hydropower project in Isabela

Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on Wednesday led the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the establishment of a P12.9 billion hydropower and irrigation project in Isabela which will generate 100 megawatts and irrigate 41,700 hectares of new areas to boost food sufficiency.

The MOA was signed at the launching of Isabela’s Local Convergence Agro-Enterprise Cluster, a project of the Convergence Initiative undertaken by the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, and Environment and National Resources (DA-DAR-DENR), in partnership with the provincial government, Mindano Grains, PhilMaize, S/N Aboitiz, and the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Once completed, the project will generate power for the towns of Ilaguen, San Agustin and Tumauini, and provide irrigation to new areas in the municipalities of Ilagan, Gamu, Jones, Tumauini, Cauayan, San Mariano, San Agustin and Benito Soliven.

 “This project is not only a prime example of the rewards of the Convergence Initiative, but of Public-Private Partnerships the President and our administration are so optimistic about,” Ochoa said. “Such a project is necessary if we are to address one of the biggest issues facing us today: rice self-sufficiency.”

According to the Executive Secretary, the project is line with the Aquino Administration’s agenda of empowering farms and rural enterprises to become vital components in the government’s drive to achieve food

security and more economic growth in the countryside.

“Our presence here today is evidence enough that we are taking this as an unwavering commitment to our people. We will uplift the welfare of our farm and rural workers, and, in the process, we will establish the systems and infrastructure so that food self-sufficiency is realized during and beyond our term,” Ochoa said.

To achieve this goal, he said, the government has started taking steps to move away from heavy dependence on rice imports and clear the bottlenecks in the bureaucracy that impede efforts of agencies to achieve the shared objectives.

One such step is the DA-DAR-DENR National Convergence Initiative, a multisectoral and integrated approach wherein three rural development agencies will undertake joint planning, programming and budgeting. They will also have a common or well-coordinated effort at all levels from the grassroots up to the level of the department heads.

“The projects we are kicking off today are examples of what can be achieved if the goals of the Convergence Initiative are realized,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa was joined by Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio De Los Reyes and Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy III, NIA Administrator Antonio Nangel, Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce Chairman Alfonso Uy, PhilMaize Chairman Roger Navarro, Mindanao Grains CEO Roderico Bioco, and S/N Aboitiz CEO Emmanuel Rubio at the signing ceremony that coincided with the week-long celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution.

Also present were Isabela Representatives Napoleon Dy, Ana Cristina Go, Giordi Aggabao and Rodolfo Albano Jr.; and Mayor Benjamin Dy.  “As we celebrate the EDSA Power Revolution, it is best to honor the event by devoting ourselves to making sure that we greatly reduce those who are poor, those who suffer the pangs of hunger and those whose poverty denies them and their children an opportunity to secure a bright and stable future,” Ochoa sai