CABANATUAN CITY – Farmers tilling 76,075 hectares from the 152,131-hectare firmed-up serviced area of the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-UPRIIS) came out of the box by venturing into the “double dry” cropping season.
On Tuesday, Aud. 12, Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. and NIA administrator Engr. Eddie Guillen, along with Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara of this city, led the first ever harvest festival for “double dry crop” at the heart of a 5.7-hectare farmland in Barangay Talipapa here.
The farmland is owned by farmer Arsenio Mallare, a member of the Hoy Gising Irrigators Association, Inc., a group of farmers who received irrigation services.
“Sa pagdiriwang na ito, ito ay napapaalala na ang tagumpay ay hindi lamang nasusukat sa dami ng naaaning palay kundi sa lakas ng ating pagkakaisa at sama-samang determinasyon na makamit ang food security para sa ating bansa,” Tiu Laurel said, hailing the farmers and sharing plans to uplift the sector.
“Dalhin natin hindi lamang ang tuwang tagumpay ng ani kundi lalo na ang diwa ng sama-samang pagkilos para sa masaganang bagong Pilipinas,” he added.
Tiu Laurel said he had separately met with Senate Pres. Francis Escudero, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to push for the amendment of the Rice Tariffication Law, particularly providing a floor price or palay (unhusked rice).
He said he got a positive response in all meetings.
Seeing 2026 as a better year for Filipino farmers, the secretary exhorted them: “Kaya huwag kayong mawawalan ng pag-asa.”
He also pressed for a rule against “excessive” rice importation.
According to him, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has decided to increase the National Food Authority’s palay buying budget from P9 billion to P18 billion in 2026.
For his part, Guillen said the double dry season is part of the agency’s “climate smart agriculture.”
Aside from NIA-UPRIIS, double dry season is also being implemented in different parts of the country for a total of 350,000 ha out of the country’s 1.2 million ha.
“Dahil kultura ang pagsasaka, mahirap nating baguhin agad-agad,” Guillen said, adding “of course we have to realize also na hindi rin kayang patubigan lahat ng ating sakahan during second dry.”
Vergara, meanwhile, expressed full support to the program. “Asahan po ninyo ang patuloy na pagkakaisa at suporta ng pamahalaang lungsod sa mga programang pang-agrikultura.”
UPRIIS acting department manager Engr. Alvin Manuel said the double dry season harvest is expected to be completed by Sept. 15, 2025 as early wet season starts in October.
He said they originally scheduled 61,985.65 ha But this has ballooned by 14,090 for a total of 76,075 ha.
UPRIIS caters to Nueva Ecija and portions of Tarlac, Bulacan, and Pampanga.
