TACLOBAN CITY — The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has committed to rehabilitating the Jicontol Valley Irrigation System in Dolores, Eastern Samar, whose service area has shrunk significantly since its construction more than four decades ago.

NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen met with House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan and Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales to discuss upgrades to the irrigation system and other projects aimed at improving rice production in the province.

Dolores, considered the rice granary of Eastern Samar, still has large areas of farmland dependent on rainfall for irrigation.

The Jicontol Communal Irrigation System was constructed in 1982 with a service area of 1,500 hectares but currently irrigates only around 383 hectares.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that Eastern Samar ranked fourth among Eastern Visayas’ six provinces in rice production in the first quarter of 2026, producing 6,253 metric tons.

The figure was 28.3 percent lower than the 8,206 metric tons recorded during the same period in 2025.

Of the province’s 6,253 metric tons of production, only 803 metric tons came from irrigated farms, while 5,450 metric tons were produced from rainfed areas.

Eastern Samar also recorded an average palay yield of 2.71 metric tons per hectare, the second lowest in the region.

Under the 2026 national budget, P18 million was allocated for repairs to the Jicontol irrigation system’s canal lining and irrigation structures.

During their meeting with NIA officials, Libanan and Gonzales also discussed the construction of six 15-horsepower solar-powered irrigation systems in Jicontol as part of efforts to improve irrigation coverage.

The lawmakers also sought the return of the NIA Irrigation Management Office to Borongan City to allow closer and faster coordination in the implementation, monitoring and development of irrigation projects across Eastern Samar.