Marcos leads groundbreaking of dam in Pangasinan that will serve 6 towns

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Photo by YUMMIE DINGDING / PPA POOL)

MANILA, Philippines—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hopes that the Lower Agno River Irrigation System – Paitan Dam in Santa Maria, Pangasinan will boost the farmers’ harvests and earnings.

He said this in his speech on Friday during the dam’s groundbreaking ceremony.

The event also held the ceremonial turnover of farm machinery and equipment, farm inputs and solar-powered irrigation projects.

“The purpose of the Paitan Dam is to provide irrigation to six municipalities here in eastern Pangasinan —namely the towns of Sta. Maria, Rosales, Sto. Tomas, Alcala, Bautista and Bayambang — as well as some parts of San Manuel and Moncada in Tarlac, and Cuyapo in Nueva Ecija,” the president said.

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“Because of this, harvests are expected to increase, along with the overall production of rice. This means greater income and improved livelihood for our farmers,” Marcos noted.

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The Paitan Dam, projected to be completed by 2027, will bring regular water to 12,000 hectares of agricultural land.

Moreover, the Department of Agriculture also turned over 10 four-wheel drive tractors, solar-powered irrigation pumps, hybrid rice seeds, garden tools, organic plant supplements and other farm inputs.

“The good thing about the solar-powered irrigation pump is that it offers a sustainable solution for modern farming,” he pointed out.

“It can irrigate even without electricity — more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly,” he told the farmers./apl