President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. led the inauguration of a newly rehabilitated dam that is expected to serve more than 3,000 farmers in Zamboanga del Sur on Thursday, Ferbuary 12, 2026.

The government said the Mahayag Dam in Barangay Lower Salug Daku in the town of Mahayag was built in 1967. It has long been a key component of the Salug River Irrigation System (Salug RIS), the largest national irrigation system in the Zambaonga Peninsula.

The dam provides irrigation to more than 8,102 hectares of farmland, with 5,044 hectares served by the Mahayag Dam specifically.

However, the structure suffered heavy damage due to severe flooding in late 2022 and early 2023, which resulted in a partial collapse that threatened irrigation services and nearby communities.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), secured funding of P450 million from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) for full reconstruction and major rehabilitation.

The newly rehabilitated dam will now provide reliable water supply to some 3,174 farmers from the towns of Mahayag, Molave, Ramon Magsaysay, and Sominot.

The dam is also expected to improve food production, raise farm incomes, and support national food security.

During the President’s visit, a 20 solar-powered pump irrigation project irrigation projects (SPIP) were distributed to 635 beneficiaries in the region.

These will serve as a modern irrigation system that uses clean and affordable energy to boost agricultural productivity in drought-prone areas and reduce farming costs.