Solar irrigation opens in Leyte

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated the Tugbong Solar Pump Irrigation Project in Kananga, Leyte, on Friday, presenting solar-powered pumps as part of the government’s response to what PTV News described as Super El Niño. The government plans to expand such systems across rice-growing areas and accelerate work on water impounding facilities and hydroelectric dams, according to PTV News.

The Tugbong facilities are intended to irrigate 115 hectares using four 15-horsepower submersible pumps. Two sites each have 240 solar panels, with each panel rated to generate as much as 305 watts. The 66 farmer-beneficiaries of Tonay Solar Irrigators Association will operate and maintain the project, which avoids fuel costs by relying on solar energy.

Marcos said about 3,000 solar pump irrigation projects had been completed nationwide and that 70% of irrigable land was now irrigated. He also said the country was better prepared than during the 2024 El Niño episode, which he said left farmland dry for nine months.

Agricultural losses drive wider planning

Rappler reported that the government expects an intensifying, very strong El Niño to continue into mid-2027. Agricultural losses had reached 8.57 billion pesos, affecting more than 200,000 farmers. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told a Senate budget hearing on October 21 that losses could reach 20 billion pesos and as many as 4.6 million farmers and fishers could be affected.

More than 100 towns and provinces had declared states of calamity, while nine provinces were experiencing drought, according to PAGASA figures reported by Rappler. Officials have discussed declaring an imminent disaster to release money before anticipated impacts, but operational guidelines remain unfinished. PAGASA climate official Ana Liza Solis said government agencies were still developing the triggers and thresholds needed to activate anticipatory measures.

The government is also urging water conservation while supplies remain stable. Rappler reported that the environment department had identified 34% of barangays as priority areas for water-supply intervention. Tiu Laurel estimated that nationwide farmland irrigation would require 1.2 trillion pesos, with another 50 billion pesos needed for mechanization and post-harvest facilities.

Unrest included in contingencies, not forecast

Officials referred to the deadly Kidapawan protests of April 1, 2016, while discussing worst-case scenarios, but said there were no current warning signs of civil unrest. Office of Civil Defense official Jose Harry Barber described such a scenario as part of standard contingency planning, Rappler reported. Officials emphasized that advance preparation could prevent severe climate stress from becoming a humanitarian crisis.