Public-private partnerships (PPP) will be pursued to irrigate almost 1 million hectares (ha) of land in the country within 10 years, according to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
However, the agency said this would involve as much as P800 billion to fund big-ticket irrigation projects.
“If pegged for 10 years, for the big-ticket projects which is for the PPP, the amount that we need as of now is P594 billion but because of the inflation, because of rising prices of materials, we already placed it now at around P800 billion. That amount is being sought to be sourced from investors, not from the GAA (General Appropriations Act),”Benny Antiporda, NIA administrator, said during a briefing yesterday.
At present, around 964,000 ha of land still needs to be irrigated, he added.
Antiporda said around 50 potential irrigation projects nationwide can be pursued through PPP, majority of which are big-ticket multipurpose projects with hydropower component, with potential for floating solar power farm and small river irrigation projects with reservoirs that can be utilized for floating solar power farm and mini-hydroelectric power plants.
At present, he said NIA has received investment pledges amounting to more than P1 trillion through letters of intent.
Meanwhile, Antiporda said NIA has filed cases against two of its officials for alleged negligence as the agency lost its case against a project contractor.
NIA said it requested the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct further investigation and to file the appropriate criminal and administrative cases against two of its lawyers for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees, as well as for gross inexcusable negligence, misconduct and conduct unbecoming of public officers in the performance of their official duties.
