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Philippine President to Inaugurate Mal-Mar Irrigation Project
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inaugurate Saturday the dam and other completed components of the Malitubog-Maridagao (Mal-Mar) Irrigation Project in the southern province of North Cotabato.
A flagship project of the Philippine government, the dam could speed up the realization of the government's goal to turn Mindanao into a bread basket, the Presidential Place said.
The 48.7 million U.S. dollar project is ready to irrigate an initial farmlands area of 3,800 hectares, which will be expanded to 6,560 hectares in several southern provinces, said Philippine Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor.
Funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the project was kicked off in October 1989, but was suspended in April 1995 due to security problems. A Chinese construction company resumed the implementation after winning the bidding.
Four Chinese nationals involved in the project were kidnapped by local bandits on two separate incidents since June this year. Despite the misfortune, the Chinese contractor did not stop nor slow down their work.
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