Marcos pushes tech-driven irrigation vs climate change

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said modern technology would enable more precise and responsive irrigation management, helping farmers better cope with the impacts of climate change.

In his speech at the 2026 National Irrigation Administration–National Confederation of Irrigators Associations General Assembly, Marcos commended the National Irrigation Administration’s Command Center, which monitors dam levels and weather conditions in real time, enabling farmers to plan their next steps better and protect their crops.

READ: Marcos to farmers: Build coops to raise agri practices, get full gov’t aid

“Through telemetry, information is transmitted to our Command Center via satellite-fed monitoring, including satellite-based weather monitoring. We launched our own satellite, which allows us to track the condition of our farmlands,” he explained in Filipino.

“Now, we can determine earlier when to release water, when to prepare for potential flooding, and when to issue warnings to communities that may be affected,” he added.

Meanwhile, AI-based crop monitoring and smart weather-forecasting systems provide farmers with more precise data.

“With the help of modern technologies such as AI-based crop monitoring and smart weather forecasting systems, we can ensure that our projects for farms and irrigation are based on accurate data,” the president said in Filipino.

During the assembly, Marcos also said he has instructed the Department of Agriculture to purchase seedlings and other farm inputs ahead of the planting season.

“I said from the very beginning that, while it’s still early, before the planting season starts, we should already secure all the necessary farm inputs and distribute them while we can, instead of waiting,” he said in Filipino

“Buy them early so that by the time the planting season arrives, the inputs are already in place. We shouldn’t wait until they still need to be purchased, shipped to the Philippines if imported, and delivered to the areas that need them, which takes several months,” he added.

He also said the government is already working on establishing seedling production sites to centralize distribution, ensuring the availability of different seedling varieties according to the season.

The National Confederation of Irrigators Associations, Inc., established in October 1997, represents the interests of irrigation farmers in policymaking bodies and collaborates closely with government and partner institutions. /mcm