ILOILO CITY (PNA) - Construction of a P352-million rice processing complex will start in Pototan, Iloilo province before the end of the year. This was announced by Agriculture Regional Executive Director for Western Visayas, Larry Nacionales who disclosed that the project is already good as approved and that, in fact, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has already released funds for the implementation of the project.
Nacionales said that a similar project has already kicked off in Pangasinan and the one in Iloilo is expected to follow next. Two other such projects will be put up eventually in Davao and Bohol, he said. The complex will house rice-processing equipment, a top-of-the-line rice mill, a dryer and trucking service equipment using Korean truck brands. Nacionales added that the project has national government counterpart funds. The provincial and municipal government of Iloilo and Pototan respectively has also committed to comply with their own contributions, to include the site and access road for the project. Earlier, Jose Tomungha of the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) expressed doubts that DoLE 7 can implement the wage increase considering that only 33 percent of establishments in the region has complied with the previous P267 minimum.
