The chairperson of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations has said 2018 national budget will benefit not only college students and uniformed personnel, but also the country’s hardworking farmers.
“Included in the P3.767-trillion General Appropriations Act [GAA] for 2018 is a P2.6-billion allocation for free irrigation as part of the Duterte administration’s farmer assistance program,” Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, the panel chairperson, said.
“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,” Nograles said.
Nograles said the P2.6-billion irrigation fund represents 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,” Nograles said.
This means that nearly P5 billion worth of funds for irrigation coverage has been allocated by the 17th Congress under the stewardship of Nograles as House appropriations head.
“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,” Nograles said.
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said the country has about 10.3 million hectares of agricultural lands. Out of this figure, around 3.1 million hectares are considered irrigable.
Nonetheless, the lack of irrigation has been a longstanding problem for Filipino farmers for a variety of reasons.
The House earlier approved on third and final reading earlier this year House Bill 5670, or the Act strengthening assistance to all farmers by providing free irrigation service fee and all other similar or related fees or charges.
Nograles is the principal author of the measure, which was ratified by the House last November 20.
The government’s efforts to improve irrigation coverage for farmers also ties well with another Nograles pet measure–the proposed Right to Adequate Food Framework Act, otherwise known as the “Zero Hunger Bill.”
The appropriations features of the consolidated bill were approved by congressmen last October.
The bill seeks to create the Commission on the Right to Adequate Food (CRAF), which will ensure considerable and steady increase of the percentage of the budget spent on irrigation, as well as agricultural research and development in general.