Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito urged the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Thursday, September 17, to focus on long-term water retention and storage projects to manage chronic flooding in Bulacan and Pampanga while safeguarding farming supplies.
Speaking at the agency’s budget defense, Ejercito highlighted the pressing need for an overarching master plan for Central Luzon, arguing that heavy rainwater collected during the wet season should be reserved to stave off droughts during dry spells.
“If we spend on irrigation but no water flows through, it would be a waste, right? So we really need to think about water retention facilities—or at least get them started,” Ejercito said during the hearing.
The lawmaker called for joint initiatives between the NIA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to align flood mitigation efforts with irrigation, energy generation, and potable water distribution.
“There should be a convergence of water-related efforts involving the NIA—covering irrigation and retention facilities—as well as the major projects of the DPWH,” the lawmaker said.
Ejercito expressed frustration over key infrastructure proposals that have sat idle for years, criticizing the practice of splitting agency funds into smaller, fragmented activities rather than focusing on transformative developments.
“Just like in any other department or agency, instead of concentrating on the big-ticket items that need to be done, the approach is piecemeal,” Ejercito said.
“So we must ask: Were the funded projects actually implemented? How many kilometers of irrigation canals were built or repaired? How many hectares of farmland were irrigated? How many farmers benefited? And above all, did their yields and incomes increase?” he asked.
He also raised concerns regarding the widespread installation of concrete river revetments—even along uninhabited stretches—suggesting they offer fewer long-term advantages than reservoir systems capable of multi-sector utility.
“That is really what we’re missing—a master plan, right? We always just settle for whatever is feasible; the projects are piecemeal. We need a long-term approach…It needs to be done; this should have been done yesterday,” Ejercito said.
To move the strategy forward, the senator asked NIA officials to provide detailed plans and multi-year funding estimates for priority dams and impounding facilities.
The Senate Committee on Finance subsequently approved NIA’s proposed ₱233.85-billion budget for 2027, advancing the measure to plenary debates.