Quick Response! DA Sec. Orders Review Of Solar-Irrigation Units

Exactly one month, after I posted stories of Solar-Powered Irrigation Units which had been abandoned and neglected, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, Jr. has directed an audit and review of both the functioning and non-functioning units.
https://malaya.com.ph/news…/da-to-review-spis-projects/
This is a heartwarming development in our advocacy to achieve Food Security and Food Sufficiency by increasing the production of rice and other agricultural commodities.
Sec. Laurel’s directive comes in the heels of a pronouncement made by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. that his administration will launch a national program to establish Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) to boost rice production.
The Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) program was adopted by the Dept. of Agriculture as a banner program in 2017 and was officially launched by then President Rodrigo R.Duterte on Feb. 5 of the same year.
Following the launching in New Janiuay, Mlang,. North Cotabato, the DA established about 200 units all over the country many of which were constructed by companies with very limited technical knowledge on the Solar-Powered Irrigation technology.
A proposal to engage an Israeli company, LR Group which arranged a funding package of P40-B for a national system of SPIS, was never acted upon by the Economic Team of the previous administration led by then Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.
Following my resignation in 2019, the SPIS program was discontinued and some of the 200 units constructed were either abandoned or neglected.
Last month, I responded to an appeal for help in activating at least three SPIS units constructed in my hometown which had not been operating for almost 4 years.
After posting a series of reports in this FB page, the DA under Sec. Laurel had issued directives to all Regional Directors which included the following:
1. Review and audit of all SPIS Units all over the country and document successful models and the impact on rice production and the lives of farmers;
2. Review and audit the non-functioning units to determine the factors which contributed to the failure of the SPIS Units to operate;
3. Following the completion of the review and audit of all SPIS Units and the documentation of the successes and failures, submit a recommendation on how to further improve the SPIS Program.
The results of the review and audit and the recommendations would guide the DA in the implementation of the National SPIS Program which Sec. Laure said would have a funding of P5-B every year targeting 180,000 hectares.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceisCommonSense!