President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday inaugurated the Ibato-Iraan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (SRIP) in Aborlan, Palawan, describing it as a major step toward strengthening food security, boosting farmers’ incomes, and helping agriculture withstand the effects of climate change and El Niño.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said the project will provide a reliable year-round water supply to 1,072 hectares of farmland, benefiting 425 members of the Ibato-Iraan Farmers Irrigators Association.

Marcos said the SRIP is the largest irrigation project built by the NIA in Palawan and the province’s first reservoir-type irrigation system, underscoring its importance as changing weather patterns make farming increasingly unpredictable.

“Nowadays, especially in the middle of the dry season or El Niño, we cannot just rely on the arrival of rain,” Marcos said.

The President said the project is expected to increase rice production, raise farmers’ incomes, and improve water security for farming communities across the province.

Beyond irrigation, the reservoir will also support aquaculture and serve as a potential water source for nearby communities. It has a storage capacity of up to 3.013 million cubic meters of rainwater collected from a 26.73-square-kilometer watershed.

Marcos also announced plans to modernize Palawan’s irrigation network through the installation of solar-powered irrigation pumps and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Satellite-Assisted Monitoring and Irrigation System to help farmers monitor crop conditions and improve water and fertilizer management.

He also called on the NIA and the Ibato-Iraan Farmers Irrigators Association to work together in maintaining the facility, assuring farmers of the government’s continued support for agricultural development and irrigation projects nationwide.