Senator Franklin Drilon expressed confidence that Iloilo’s economy will recover immediately after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

“I have no doubt that today, Iloilo is in a position to recover once the pandemic is over. Why? Because we are prepared,” Drilon said during the recently concluded investment forum in Iloilo City.

The senator cited the development of public infrastructure projects as a major contributor to Iloilo’s economic recovery.

“We have embarked on a massive public infrastructure development for the last 10 years, especially from 2010 to 2016,” said Drilon.

According to the Ilonggo lawmaker, investments in infrastructure have the highest multiplier effect in the economy.

Drilon mentioned the Iloilo International Airport in the town of Cabatuan. The project was funded by official development assistance (ODA) from Japan.

“Today, this serves as a major gateway for our province,” he said.

Drilon also boasted of several road projects implemented in Iloilo City.

“We constructed a world-class 10-lane Senator Benigno Aquino Avenue, stretching for 15 kilometers from the airport. We opened up hundreds of hectares of land development by building a 14-kilometer President Corazon Aquino circumferential road around the city,” he said.

“We are now constructing four fly-overs along Sen. Benigno Aquino Avenue and President Corazon Aquino circumferential road, at a total cost of P1.2 billion to ease the traffic on these thoroughfares,” Drilon added.

Other projects lobbied by Drilon are the Iloilo Convention Center with a seating capacity of 3,500 and the Esplanade, an eight-kilometer recreational park on the banks of the Iloilo River.

“But the game changer for the economic development of Iloilo, anchored on agriculture, is the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project II (JRMP II). We initiated the project with the encouragement of the chairman of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Alfonso Uy, in 2018,” he said.

Drilon noted that the dam project is “now almost halfway in its completion” and is expected to be operational by 2023.

“This dam will provide a year-round irrigation facility to 32,000 hectares of farmlands in 25 municipalities in Iloilo. It will benefit at least 750,000 farmers as the production will double form the present 142,000 metric tons to almost 300,000 annually,” he said.

“It will also create 800,000 hectares of water reservoir, a magnet for tourism investment, and 86,000 cubic meters of potable water per day. As you will see, agriculture is the pandemic bright spot as we look forward to completion of the Jalaur Dam,” Drilon added.

The senator, meanwhile, said he proposed a budget of P800 million for the construction of the North Iloilo River Avenue.

The four-lane, 5.5-kilometer highway, complete with an esplanade and a bike lane, will link to Megaworld Boulevard and is expected to “open better access for the development of Oton as part of Metro Iloilo.”IMT