Time for a deeper look
Published on October 8, 2006 - The Bohol Standard Newspaper
On paper, the construction of a multi-billion dam in the town of Pilar looks like the best thing that can happen to this sleepy little town. At the mere mention of a dam, the first thing that comes to the mind of most people is its potential for increased harvests for rice farmers.
Bohol has made claims of becoming the rice granary of Central Visayas and so the presence of a dam is supposed to mean that it will help farmers to maximize their yield. This way, Bohol will not only be able to get closer to its goal but more importantly uplift the livelihood of our farmers. Unfortunately, the Pilar dam has encountered one misfortunate after another. First, the construction took so long that many people started entertaining the thought that it would never be finished.
I do not wish to imply anything but there were stories about alleged irregularities attending the construction of the dam. True or not, it is easy for people to be suspicious considering the very long delay.
When it was finally completed, it would seem like the delay was worth it. If the dam was able to deliver according to expectations, it would have been enough to make people forget about the delay. The sad thing about it is that the Pilar dam has not lived up to its potentials. Contrary to the expectations of many people and especially to the propaganda of those who claim credit for its construction, the dam no longer seems the answer to the problems of our rice farmers.
It is true that the dam is more than enough for the needs of the rice farmers in Pilar. But the original intention was for the dam to serve not only Pilar but also the rice fields in the neighboring towns.
For some reason, the dam has not lived up to its expectations. It has not been able to maximize its potentials. Because of this, the expected help that it can give to the rice fields in the adjacent towns did not materialize.
To rub salt to injury however, it seems that another multi-billion dam in San Miguel has identified the Pilar dam as its water sources. Now, this is much more serious. If the Pilar dam has not been able to reach all the rice fields in its service area, how will it be able to serve another dam?
It is time to take a second and deeper look into the dam projects in the province. If we really want to help our people, we will look for ways to help them at the least cost.
If our agriculture particularly does not increase its production despite the billions of pesos poured into it by the government, it is the farmers who will be the ultimate loser.
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