DAVAO City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, House committee on appropriations chairman, on Friday said the country’s farmers shall benefit from the P2.6-billion allocation for free irrigation under the 2018 P3.767-trillion General Appropriations Act.
He stressed this after Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez disclosed that funds from 24 lawmakers who were given zero-budget for their infrastructure projects under next year’s national budget were realigned to finance free college tuition and compensation adjustment for military and uniformed personnel.
“Included in the P3.767-trillion General Appropriations Act for 2018 is a P2.6-billion allocations for free irrigation as part of the Duterte administration’s farmer assistance program,” he said.
He added: “From the outset, President Duterte has vowed to help boost farmers’ production by subsidizing their irrigation needs.
“He highlighted this yet again when he signed the 2018 GAA on Tuesday. It’s our responsibility as lawmakers to facilitate the Chief Executive’s worthy causes.”
According to Nograles, the P2.6-billion irrigation fund represented a 30-percent increase from its 2017 allocation.
“In the 2017 budget, we set aside the amount of P2 billion as subsidy for free irrigation, and we did it again in the 2018 budget with a higher allocation of P2.6 billion,” he said.
“Our farmers need all the help they can get if we are to achieve our potential as an agricultural juggernaut in Asia. With proper planning and the right pieces of legislation, this dream can be a reality under President Duterte,” he said.
The National Irrigation Administration said the country had about 10.3 million hectares of agricultural lands.
About 3.1 million hectares are considered irrigable.
