Medco eyes reviving Cotabato River Basin project, expanding coverage to Bukidnon

Project wants to curb flooding in North Cotabato, Maguindanao

DAVAO CITY -- The government’s socioeconomic planning unit for Mindanao planned to push through with crafting the master plan of a Mindanao River Basin project, which would involve reviving the unfunded Cotabato River Basin project and to expand it to include as far inland as Bukidnon in Central Mindanao, a move mainly to prevent recurrent flooding of the rice-producing Cotabato provinces.

The plan was to coordinate the work with the Central Mindanao offices of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda), Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The proposed master plan would focus on water resources development and watershed management based on detailed hydrology and basin simulation study, a statement from the Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco) said.

Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana, Medco chairman, said the master plan would include “interventions such as reclamation of river banks, dredging for navigability, eco-tourism
development and the putting up of infrastructure-support projects such as farm-to-market roads, food terminal markets, irrigation, hydropower, and flood control structures”.

The planned Mindanao river basin project would cover a total area of 20,398 square kilometers, its path traverses the northeastern part of Bukidnon, known as the Pulangi River, towards the Bukidnon Plateau and fed by 17 tributaries and emerges to the Cotabato plains and Cotabato River Basin.

The Mindanao river basin covers the marshlands of Liguasan, Libungan and Ebpanan and the provinces of Bukidnon, Maguindanao, North Cotabato and South Cotabato.

Leyretana said that proposed comprehensive development of the Mindanao river basin, known as the “Mindanao River of Peace” project, would help curb the perennial flood problems in Cotabato City and the provinces of Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

More than curbing flashfloods, however, Leyretana said he wasnted the project “to open up economic opportunities in the region, generate income and increase revenues for local government units”.

He said that the project would integrate approaches “to address the problem on flooding, watershed destruction and siltation of the Mindanao River Basin, the second largest river system in the country”.

“The development of the Mindanao River Basin should be comprehensive, integrative and sustainable, thus we have sent an endorsement to the President to include the Comprehensive Mindanao River Basin Development in her economic resiliency plan,” Leyretana said.

The project was also cited in the President’s State of the Nation Address as an important flood control infrastructures.

The Central Mindanao provinces of North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao has been acknowledged the country’s rice bowl, while its own Liguasan Marsh, Asia’s largest wetlands at more than 54,000 hectares, and its rivers and lakes also teem with fresh water fishes.

But recent spate of flooding have been destroying large tracts of land, including in 2006 which two typhoons Cosme and Frank sent government to form a task force to look into the widespread inundation.

“In the light of the recent flooding incidents [this year], Leyretana called on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other concern agencies to immediately look into the plight of the affected families and communities as well as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to immediately act on the rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructures.

The recent floods have submerged 30 of the 37 villages here and damaged millions worth of properties and agricultural crops across Cotabato City and Maguindanao among other affected areas, the Medco said.

Leyretana said the Medco would request assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), under the bank’s facility on Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Sector Development Program. The DENR has a current watershed program funded also under this facility.

But he said the Medco may also explore other funding agencies.

The Cotabato River Basin project was supposed to be undertaken under a World Bank grant in 1999 fo the preparation of a River Basin and Watershed Management Framework Progam. The Cotabato River Basin was supposed to be a pilot component.

It was unable to take off and subsequent peace and order concern, especially in 2003 with a widespread armed conflict and series of bombings, forced the World Bank to rechannel the fund to the Bicol river basin project.

In 2006, Medco decided to revive the project during its technical working group meeting on flood control but the meeting agreed to develop the master plan, instead of only framework plan.

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