PGMA distributes irrigation pumps in Cagayan
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TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today distributed Certificates of Allocation
for 426 irrigation pumps amounting to P10.9 million to help the local populace mitigate the effects of the El Nino
phenomenon.
The Chief Executive, who is here for the fifth and last leg of her North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle (NLAQ)
Super Region tour, personally presented the Certificates of Allocation to Cagayan Governor Alvaro Antonio and
other municipal mayors at the Florencio Vargas College in Centro Tuguegarao.
The NLAQ consists of Region I, II, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and the northern part of Region III.
Antonio, who had earlier briefed the President on the effects of El Nino, said that while the rest of the
communities in Cagayan are reeling from the dry spell, the northern part of the province has been relatively
spared.
Outgoing Agriculture Secretary and NLAQ champion Arthur Yap said that the irrigation pumps are part of the
1,363 sets worth P35.6 million being distributed by the Department of Agriculture.
In her brief speech, the President explained that her regional visits were to assess the progress of her strategic
plan to expand political and economic footprint to lift up all regions not just Metro Manila.
“That is why we are investing billions of pesos to tie the nation together through a better, more modern
transportation system, lift up our next generation with more schools to ensure a better education and keep our
nation clean, safe and beautiful to tap the best of our natural beauty,” she said.
Aside from the provision of water pumps, the government has already undertaken several El Nino interventions
for the province of Cagayan. These include:
n cloud seeding operation (two aircraft operation were hired for the operation as early as January 2010);
n provision of fuel assistance for rice and corn (ongoing distribution of P150,000 per municipality, with a total of
P12.4 million region wide in addition to local government units initiatives);
n provision of vegetable seeds and seedlings (25,000 packets ready for distribution; P10-million worth of
vegetable seeds for delivery and distribution to augment LGU interventions)
n provision of pesticides/rodenticide in case of pest outbreak (168 kg. rodenticide distributed to 338 rat infested
barangays covering 11,000 hectares. Infestation now under control)
n rotational irrigation system by the National Irrigation Administration (Implemented rotational irrigation system
since December 2009 to preserve water until Harvest time) and
n Information campaign on water conservation (trained 15,518 farmers on proper water management thru
farmers’ field school. Information campaign was done through meetings with Irrigators’ Association)
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PGMA calls on youth to support national goals
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TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today called on the youth anew to join
hands with the government in the effort to uplift the nation to open “even more opportunities” for the next
generation of Filipinos.
“We are one nation. We must all stand shoulder to shoulder to lift our nation up and give our next generations
even more opportunities. You, the youth of our nation in particular, deserve a better deal than your parents. In
you, we will see a brighter day. No price is too high to pay for your education and your future success,” the
President stressed, echoing a similar call she made Monday in Baguio City before young military cadets who
graduated from the Philippine Military Academy.
The Chief Executive spoke here before students, teachers, faculty members and officials of the Florencio L.
Vargas College as part of her tour of the Northern Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, the fifth and last of the super
regions she identified in her 2006 development strategy.
(As she was in the middle of her speech, a tremor interrupted the gathering, forcing the Chief Executive to stop
her speech briefly. She was calm as the surroundings shook for less than a minute and was overheard saying:
“There is an earthquake. I hope this will not be like Haiti or Chile.” After a brief pause, the President continued
with her message. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) in Manila said the quake
struck at 10.51 a.m., was of tectonic origin and measured at Intensity 5 in nearby Aparri.)
As in her previous visits to the four other super regions, the President started her sortie in a school to
emphasize the high priority she places on the education sector in her administration.
The President pointed out that the nation must expand its political and economic footprint to lift up all regions,
not just Metro Manila.
“That is why we have insisted to investing billions of pesos across the nation to tie the nation together though a
better, more modern transportation system; lift up our next generation with more schools to ensure a better
education; and keep our nation clean, safe and beautiful to tap the best of our natural beauty.
Earlier, the President led the ceremonial distribution of the Certificates of Allocation of some 426 irrigation pump
sets to help local farmers mitigate the effects of the El Nino in Cagayan.
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PGMA wants emergency employment for farmers
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DELFIN ALBANO, Isabela -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered government officials to provide
emergency employment program for farmers who lost their harvest income due to the long dry spell brought by
the El Nino weather phenomenon.
At the Tap J Hotel here this afternoon, the President presided over a roundtable discussion with local officials,
various stakeholders and the El Nino Task Force, which she reactivated last month to address the effects of the
dry spell predicted for the first half of 2010.
Among those present were farmers and town mayors led by First District Rep. Rodito Albano and his father
former Rep. Rodolfo Albano, and Delfin Albano Mayor Thomas Pua, Jr. Also present were outgoing Agriculture
Secretary Arthur Yap, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Celia Capadocia Yangco, Trade and Industry
Secretary Peter Favila, Public Works and Highways Secretary Victor Domingo, Environment and Natural
Resources Secretary Horacio Ramos, Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, Press Secretary
Crispulo Icban Jr. , and Presidential Assistant on Climate Change Secretary Heherson Alvarez.
The President told local officials and farmer representatives that the employment of affected farmers will be the
main tool to address the drought problem in the countryside, this province included.
Affected farmers, according to her, will be employed in the desilting of rivers and other water tributaries, and in
repairing and rehabilitating water irrigation systems.
As long as the El Nino problem exists, the President said, affected farmers will also be given a moratorium on
the payment of the 150 kilos of palay per hectare irrigation fee of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA).
The President said another relief for affected farmers is the restructuring of loans and interest payments in
government banks such as the Land Bank of the Philippines.
Even with El Nino, the President assured a stable supply and price of rice with the timely importation of the
staple by the National Food Authority (NFA).
She added that the farmers will continue to be updated on the use of science and technology to support
agribusiness and mitigate the impact of harsh weather conditions such a El Nino.
In preparation for El Nino, the President said more than 700,000 hectares were provided with irrigation in the
North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle (NLAQ).
The President said an additional 150,000 hectares were also irrigated by small water impounding projects
(SWIP).
During the discussion, Agriculture officials reported to the President that as of March 1, some P5.3 billion worth
of crops in agriculture and fishery were totally lost or damaged in Region 2 as a result of the long dry spell,
affecting some 191,613 farmers and fishermen.
Affected in Region 2 were an estimated 54 percent of the total 487,389 hectares devoted to rice, corn, tobacco,
fisheries and other high-value commercial crops.
Most affected was Isabela with some P3.3 billion worth of damage to agriculture and fishery affecting some
100,215 farmers and fisherfolk. This prompted provincial officials to place the province under a state of calamity
last January.
In Cagayan, the drought affected 62,748 farmers and fishermen with total damage pegged at P1.42 billion.
After the roundtable discussion , the President led the ceremonial switch on of the newly established P40-
million Communal Pump Irrigation Project Phase I in Barangay San Antonio that would benefit some 1,200
farmers by irrigating 200 hectares, including seven other barangays here.
Aside from Barangay San Antonio, the project will irrigate farmlands in Barangays San Juan, Ragar Sur, San
Jose, San Patricio, Rizal, and Villaluz.
The President said the P60 million that would be spent for the next phase of the project will be used instead for
the repair and rehabilitation of irrigation systems to irrigate more farmlands at the soonest time.
The President also turned over eight irrigation pumps equipped with 240-horsepower engines to Mayor Cua
and the other mayors of the municipalities of San Pablo, Cabagan, Tumauini, Ilagan, Sto. Tomas, and Sta. Maria.
The President also inaugurated the P500-million Delfin Albano Bridge along the Delfin Albano-Tumauini Road
as part of her program to fully harness the potentials and competitiveness of the North Luzon Agribusiness
Quadrangle (NLAQ) as the food basket of Luzon.
The Delfin Albano bridge spans the Cagayan River, connecting the Pan-Philippine Highway (Cagayan Valley
Road) and the Santiago-Tuguegarao Road. The bridge now links the municipalities of Delfin Albano, Tumauini,
Santo Tomas, and Mallig in Isabela, and other areas in the provinces of Kalinga and Apayao with the various
commercial centers in the NLAQ.
Completed last December six months ahead schedule, the bridge now facilitates the efficient transport of goods
and services, particularly rice, corn and other high-value agricultural products, between the eastern and western
municipalities of Isabela and the various commercial centers in the Northern Luzon Quadrangle.
In 2006, the President introduced the super regions concept, dividing the country into five areas of development
themes – the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle (NLAQ), Urban Luzon Beltway, Central Philippines for
Tourism, Agribusiness Mindanao and the Cyber Corridor which is concentrated on information and
communications technology (ICT) and the knowledge economies.
To fully develop the super regions, the President tasked government agencies to invest heavily in human and
physical infrastructure in these areas, promote investments, motivate entrepreneurs and local government
units, and help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to spur its growth.
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