The Cagayan Riverine Development Framework Plan (CDFP) will need as much as P114 billion in funding, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
“That is the initial cost needed to implement urgent projects outlined in the CDFP from 2005 to 2030,” a NEDA official said in a statement.
Of the amount, about P1.68 billion each is allocated for river or water bank protection projects, which include resettlement of affected families, and the construction of dams.
Two components of the project have the biggest share in the total funding requirement, followed by the conduct of feasibility studies for priority dams, dikes, bank protection and cut-off channels in Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Ifugao worth P390.5 million.
The CDFP prescribes policies and strategies to address issues related to the quality, character and aesthetic value of the Cagayan Riverine Zone (CRZ) that include mitigating the destructive effects of flooding, improving water quality in the CRZ, optimizing its development potentials and ensuring availability of adequate water supply during dry season for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses.
“The plan is very useful for planners and policy makers in coming up with these policies and strategies. At the same time, the efforts of program and project implementers will be synchronized and guided on how land and water management be sustainably carried out within the riverine zone,” said Milagros A. Rimando, chairman of the Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) and NEDA Regional Office II director.
Last March, local government officials of the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya, the cities of Santiago, Cauayan and Tuguegarao, the Regional Development Council 2 (RDC 2), Regional Development Coordinating Council (RDCC), and the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to provide the synchronization of the activities in the plan.