‘LGUs need more support for irrigation systems’
Credit to Author: Delon Porcalla| Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — While skyscraper-filled Makati City has no agricultural lands, this does not mean that outgoing Mayor Abby Binay – now running for a Senate seat – cannot appreciate the necessity of having a good irrigation system that can help grow palay in the countryside.
“We need to put more money into our irrigation. Imagine the potential of those lands for us to achieve food security and not rely on the importation of food,” Binay, a senatorial candidate of President Marcos’ Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, said at a press briefing in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on Friday.
She said a significant portion of the country’s agricultural potential remains untapped due to inadequate irrigation systems, and cited a statement from Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. that over a million hectares of flatland remain unirrigated.
“Clearly, the support we are giving is not enough, especially in key areas… I believe we should begin with the most basic necessity, which is irrigation,” she said.
Investing in irrigation will enhance productivity, reduce dependency on food imports and secure the nation’s long-term food supply, she added.
Speaking at the same press briefing, House Deputy Speaker and Alyansa senatorial candidate Camille Villar underscored the need for the ongoing Metro Rail Transit-7 – the railway to connect Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan – to be completed soon, so that more economic activities will happen in the area.
Villar cited, for example, how the MRT-7 would bolster development and bring in new business, which in turn could open up new job opportunities.
The MRT-7 line is a 22.8-kilometer railway system that runs in a northeast–southwest direction, beginning at San Jose del Monte, Bulacan up to the North Triangle Common Station in North Avenue, Quezon City.
Another Alyansa senatorial bet, Rep. Erwin Tulfo, said food items should also bear the government’s mandatory suggested retail price tag to prevent unscrupulous businessmen from abusing consumers, especially those who may not have any idea how much an item really costs.
Tulfo said the Department of Agriculture can place suggested retail prices on basic food items with prices that are always rising such as rice, chicken, pork, fish, vegetables and other commodities.