The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has bolstered its commitment to ensuring a continuous water supply to rice fields across the Philippines with the deployment of 289 new excavation machines. This significant upgrade aims to enhance irrigation systems, crucial for the country’s agriculture sector, which is considered the backbone of the national economy.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally inspected and handed over 148 of these new machines to 17 regional offices of NIA during a ceremony in Mexico, Pampanga. This event marks the second tranche of a project funded by the 2024 National Budget, amounting to P782 million.
The first tranche, consisting of 141 excavation machines, was distributed to NIA Regional Offices last year in a ceremony held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. This initial phase was financed by the 2023 National Budget with a total allocation of P776 million.
President Marcos emphasized that this initiative is part of NIA’s three-year Re-fleeting Program, running from 2023 to 2025. The program is designed to prevent water wastage during the rainy season and to ensure the proper distribution of water to farms during the dry season. The newly acquired equipment includes excavator crawlers, amphibious excavators, truck tractors, and dump trucks.
“This investment reflects the state’s substantial commitment to the agricultural sector, recognizing its vital role in sustaining our national economy,” President Marcos stated.
To ensure the completion of the three-year re-fleeting program, NIA has secured P1 billion in the 2025 National Expenditure Program, approved by the Department of Budget and Management.
NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen assured that with the additional excavation machines, irrigation channels will no longer be clogged or overflow due to shallow or silted riverbeds. He also noted that the agency would save significantly on the execution and completion of new projects, thanks to its in-house equipment.
Meanwhile, NIA Regional Manager Josephine Salazar reported that under the Second Tranche, 11 new excavation machines, including eight backhoes, two dump trucks, and one trailer, will be deployed in Central Luzon.
For Rogelio Rodriguez, a 69-year-old rice farmer from Barangay Tarcan in Baliwag, the new excavation equipment is crucial for ensuring that irrigation water reaches farms, even those in remote areas. He expressed his concerns about the water released from Bustos Dam, sourced from Angat Dam, which often fails to reach all farms, potentially limiting rice production.
Rodriguez also urged President Marcos to accompany the continuous excavation of irrigation channels with the removal of illegal structures built along or within these waterways. Such structures contribute to the accumulation of debris and waste in the irrigation systems, posing a threat to the uninterrupted flow of water.
With this strategic deployment of resources, NIA is poised to significantly improve irrigation infrastructure, paving the way for a more robust and resilient agricultural sector in the Philippines.
