Thursday, January 23, 2025

Isabela State University (ISU) and Kyoto University (KyotoU) facilitated a Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting on January 23, 2025 at the Valmayor Hall of the Cagayan Valley Agricultural and Aquatic Resources Research and Development (CVAARRD) Building.

The said meeting served as a platform to engage stakeholders from the academe, private sector, line agencies, and provincial local government units (PLGU) to shape strategies for sustainable water resource management and dam operations.

With the Magat River Basin (which is located in the Cagayan Valley Region) as one of the focus areas, the collaboration aims to implement innovative technologies and develop Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) practices. It is also aligned with the mission to generate actionable policies, optimize dam operations, and increase water security under extreme climatic conditions.

During the meeting, several stakeholders shared their perspectives which included the following: National Irrigation Administration (Key Stakeholder), PLGU Quirino (Local Government), SN Aboitiz Power Group (Private Entity), Cagayan State University (Academe), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (Regional Office).

At the end of the collaborative discussions, both Universities were able to present expected outcomes to stakeholders, identify challenges and opportunities for sustainable water resource management and dam operations, and build stakeholder capacity in adopting innovative tools for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

After the consultative meeting, an inception meeting for the NEXUS Project followed, led by Prof. Sameh Ahmed Kantoush (Project Principal Investigator, KyotoU) and Dr. Orlando F. Balderama (Vice President, Research and Development, Extension and Training). During this meeting, the details of the NEXUS Project were reviewed and presented such as its objectives, timelines, methodologies, and tasks.