Marcos reaffirms admin’s push to boost food production, farmers’ welfare

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening food production and advancing the welfare of Filipino farmers.

Marcos made the statement during the 2026 National Irrigation Administration (NIA) – National Confederation of Irrigators’ Associations (NCIA) General Assembly, where he said the government has allocated more than P63 billion for irrigation systems nationwide.

“Kaya’t nananatiling malinaw ang prayoridad ng administrasyong ito: patatagin ang produksyon ng pagkain, itaguyod ang kapakanan ng bawat magsasaka, at palawakin ang irigasyon sa buong bansa,” Marcos said.

(The priority of this administration remains clear: to ensure stable food production, promote the welfare of every farmer, and expand irrigation systems across the country.)

“Upang ipagpatuloy ang mga magagandang nasimulan at maisakatuparan ang mga nakalatag na plano, naglalaan tayo ng higit animnapu’t tatlong bilyong piso para sa mga programang pang-irigasyon,” he added.

(To continue the gains already achieved and implement planned programs, we are allocating more than P63 billion for irrigation initiatives.)

Marcos urged officials of the NIA and NCIA to continue supporting farmers, stressing that the country’s agriculture sector depends on them.

He also lauded the NIA’s modernized command center, which allows real-time monitoring of dams and weather systems that could affect agricultural production.

“Noon, mano-mano at mabagal ang pagkuha ng mga datos. Kapag may problema sa dam o daluyan ng tubig, kailangan pang maghintay ng ulat kung ano ang kalagayan ng tubig. Minsan, nalalaman lang kapag nasira na ang pananim,” he said.

(Before, data gathering was manual and slow. When there were problems with dams or waterways, officials had to wait for reports on water conditions. Sometimes, issues were discovered only after crops had already been damaged.)

“Ngayon, binago natin ang sistema. Sa loob ng command center, real-time na ang datos,” he added.

(Now, the system has changed. Inside the command center, data is available in real time.)

This year’s general assembly aims to strengthen collaboration with national and international organizations to promote the interests and welfare of irrigators’ associations and build partnerships with government and non-government groups to support agriculture and related services for higher farm productivity.

It also seeks to serve as a channel for technical and financial assistance to further the growth and development of irrigation systems.—MCG, GMA Integrated News