Three municipalities of Iloilo province are recipients of 11 agroforestry support facilities under the Forestland Management Project (FMP) for the Jalaur River Basin of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Funded by the government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the FMP aims to protect and improve the forest cover spanning 13,000 hectares within the river basin in Calinog, Janiuay and Lambunao towns.

“Our local people’s organizations, the majority are indigenous peoples, were the ones who identified their projects. Access road, pathway, hanging bridge, irrigation pipelines, and one for the storage of their coffee products,” DENR Regional Executive Director Livino Duran said in an interview on Tuesday.

Three projects are in Calinog, consisting of the access roads in Barangay Garangan and from Barangay Binolosan Pequeño to Guinbunyugan, and an irrigation pipeline system in Barangay Hilwan amounting to about PHP38.6 million.

Three other projects are in Lambunao, including the pathway from Barangay Jayubo to Barangay Cabatangan Proper, and a hanging bridge and irrigation pipeline system in Barangay Bagongbong worth PHP32.9 million.

Other projects are in Janiuay, namely the irrigation pipeline system in Atimonan and Panuran villages, coffee value chain facility also in Panuran, a hanging bridge in Barangay Canauillian, and the Barangay Quipot to Barasalon Pathway Phase II with access road component amounting to PHP42.51 million.

Duran said the recipients are the ones facilitating and implementing the various initiatives of the department, including reforestation and the implementation of soil and water conservation measures, among others.

The facilities will allow them access to market and social services, and help sustain their community-based forestry initiatives.

Duran added nine other remaining agroforestry support facilities are up for turnover or completion in March this year.

Joining the turnover ceremony of the over PHP114 million worth of projects held in Barangay Garangan in Calinog on Jan. 26 were Japanese Embassy First Secretary and Agriculture Attaché Tachikawa Jumpei and JICA Philippines Office Project Formulation Advisor Takao Ryoko, DENR OIC-Assistant Secretary for Field Operations-Western Mindanao and concurrent Director of FMP Arleigh Adorable, Calinog Mayor Francisco Calvo and other local officials.

Launched 10 years ago, the FMP highlighted environmental protection, including forestland management as one of the major pillars of collaboration between the Philippines and Japan, said the Japan Information and Culture Center in a statement.

In his message, Tachikawa expressed hope that the project would not only contribute to climate change mitigation and environment protection but also improve livelihoods and sustained flow of development in the municipalities, creating a positive ripple effect in neighboring communities. (PNA)