The National Irrigation Administration has planned recently to increase its Community-Based Employment Program starting this year along with its thrust in building more irrigation projects nationwide.
Last year, the agency provided at least 66,340 employments to members of the local communities nationwide specifically for the agency’s various infrastructure related projects.
Started decades ago, the CBEP has been a regular component of NIA’s infrastructure program and included in its annual programs. The agency aims to continually provide labor-based methods, particularly on small, rural-based projects to help the community.
The CBEP is among the priority programs which aim to contribute to the national goal of inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and job creation, particularly in the countryside or the local community.
Under this program, various government agencies enroll infrastructure and/or non-infrastructure projects that will provide temporary or immediate employment to skilled, semi-skilled, and low-skilled workers in the target communities where the projects will be implemented.
Irrigation works include mostly of repair and maintenance of existing irrigation systems, repair of groundwater pump irrigation systems, climate change adaptation, Coconet slope protection, improvement of services roads, etc.
NIA Corporate Planning Services acting manager Rogelia dela Torre noted that the agency, last year, apportioned an estimated amount of P24.13 million for the said program.
“Included in this program are both locally funded and foreign assisted projects,” she added.