THE PHILIPPINES has invested P100 million in a solar-powered irrigation project in Ormoc City, Eastern Visayas, as part of efforts to boost renewable infrastructure spending to cut farm energy costs and improve food production.
The RM Tan Solar Pump Irrigation Project (SPIP), developed under the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), will provide year-round irrigation to 100 hectares of farmland, benefiting 92 farmers, Malacañang said in a statement on Monday after a site visit by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and NIA Administrator Eduardo Eddie G. Guillen.
The system, which replaces diesel-powered pumps with solar-powered units, is expected to lower operating expenses, reduce carbon emissions and shield farm production from oil price volatility.
The Presidential Palace said the Ormoc project is the largest of its kind in Eastern Visayas and forms part of NIA’s nationwide push to deploy climate-smart irrigation systems, in line with the government’s renewable energy targets and Mr. Marcos’ climate-resilient agriculture agenda.
The facility includes seven solar-powered pumps with a combined 70-horsepower capacity spread across two sites.
“The Ormoc SPIP is part of a nationwide initiative to build similar solar-powered irrigation systems,” it said. “This effort aims to deliver long-term benefits to farmers and aligns with the country’s renewable energy and sustainable development goals.”
Officials said the project is expected to provide farmers with a cheaper and cleaner water source, improve harvests, raise rural incomes and cushion them from fluctuations in fuel prices.
Mr. Marcos was joined at the inauguration by Mr. Guillen, NIA Integrated Management Office for Biliran-Leyte del Norte-Leyte del Sur Manager Conrado M. Samson and personnel from NIA’s central and regional offices.
Leaders of the RM Tan Irrigators Association and farmer-beneficiaries also took part in the event.
Meanwhile, Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva has filed a bill that seeks to give farmers and fisherfolk pension and social security benefits.
Senate Bill No. 244 or the Pensiyonadong Magsasaka at Mangingisda bill will create a Farmers and Fisherfolk Social Security and Pension program. About 10 million farmers and fishermen nationwide will get sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, death and funeral benefits.
“Let’s make our farmers and fishermen feel that they have someone to lean on in their old age,” Mr. Villanueva said in a statement.
In the bill’s explanatory note, the senator cited the urgency of safeguarding the welfare of agricultural workers. “There is an urgent need to safeguard their welfare through policies that mitigate their socioeconomic risks and vulnerabilities,” he said.
A comprehensive pension and social security program would help ensure a “higher quality of life” for those who sustain the country’s food supply, he added.
Under the bill, the program will be integrated into the Social Security System (SSS), as well as initiatives of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).
Initial funding for the program will come from government savings. Later, 10% of annual duties from farm imports will fund the program, while the Agriculture department will cover any supplemental funding requirements in its yearly budget. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Adrian H. Halili
