President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the turnover Wednesday of P776 million worth of excavators, and urged the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to maximize the full potential of the equipment to assist Filipinos farmers in boosting their yield and income especially in the midst a looming El Niño phenomenon next year.
“At this has become a particularly urgent subject in the face of what is being forecast as an El Niño season at least for the first quarter of 2024,” the President said during the turnover rites in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Olongapo, Zambales.
“Kaya’t lahat po ng aming kayang gawin bago pa maubos ang ating mga water supply ay ginagawa na namin upang pagka tumagal pa ang El Niño ay mayroon tayo — nakahanda naman tayo na kahit papaano mayroon tayong patubig, mayroon tayong tubig para sa mga malalaking lungsod, mayroon tayong patubig para sa industriya at lalong-lalo na — ang pinakamahalaga sa lahat niyan ay ang patubig para sa agrikultura,” he said.
Marcos also called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) and NIA to assess farmers’ needs to accelerate the construction of irrigation facilities from existing water sources.
At the same time, the President reiterated his message to prepare for addressing the effects of El Niño, saying he issued directives for the involvement of the Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to study government responses to the looming dry spell.
The government has to think and consider conducting cloud seeding to induce rain and to ensure continuous supply of water to farmlands, Marcos said.
“So, that is going to be an important part of this effort because we have the first priority when we hear that there is a drought coming is to ensure our food supply and to ensure our food supply, our irrigation systems must be functional,” he stressed.
Marcos made an assurance that the government will continue to explore all possibilities for the continuous distribution of water to ensure that lands remain fertile and productive.
On Tuesday, President Marcos ordered different agencies for a coordinated implementation of all government plans to mitigate the effects of a strong El Niño phenomenon across multiple sectors that is expected to persist in the middle of next year.
Based on recent conditions, DOST-PAGASA said moderate to severe drought conditions are likely from February to May 2024. And by end of May, there would be 77 percent of the provinces in the country may experience drought, or around 65 provinces and 7 percent potential for dry spell or around six provinces.
The President and other officials witnessed the turnover of 141 excavators, the first tranche of NIA procurement amounting P776 million to be distributed in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, reflecting the administration’s commitment to develop and utilize the lands.
Highlighting the importance irrigation systems to ensure the productive and efficient use of agricultural lands, the chief executive recognized the contributions of the BBLM Unistar Inc. and Zoomlion for delivering modern and quality machinery in a timely manner.
The excavators will be instrumental in maintaining the 257 national irrigation systems and 10,144 communal irrigation systems nationwide, he said.
The second tranche of NIA procurement amounting P782.9 million will be composed of 183 excavators, trucks, and other heavy equipment.
For the third tranche, more than P1 billion worth of various types of heavy equipment will be brought by the irrigation agency for eventual distribution. PND
