Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize farmers’ welfare during calamities, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) will assist those affected by severe tropical storm “Crising” to help them recover and restore their livelihoods.

In a virtual briefing on Tuesday, NIA Administrator Eddie Guillen assured the public that the agency is fully prepared to assist farmers whose crops and irrigation systems were damaged by the storm.

“Ang masasabi ko lang po dito sa ating mga bagong bayaning magsasaka ay nakahanda po lagi ang NIA na tumulong po sa inyo lalo na po kapag ganitong may mga calamities,” Guillen said.

“Yung bilin po ng ating Pangulo ay talagang tutukan po ang pangangailangan ng ating mga magsasaka. So, kami pong lahat ay nagtutulong-tulong para po mas maganda ang serbisyong darating po sa inyo,” he added.

Guillen said the NIA is in close coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide essential farming inputs, such as seeds and high-value crops, to the affected farmers.

Guillen expressed gratitude to President Marcos for the equipment that he turned over to them, which will help in the faster rehabilitation and declogging of irrigation canals.

“At ang ipinagpapasalamat po natin … is ‘yung mga equipment po na nai-turnover sa atin ng ating Pangulo ay malaking tulong para sa pagpapasaayos namin, mas mabilis, at pagde-declog natin sa ating mga irrigation canals,” he said.

On June 2, President Marcos led the turnover of more than 200 units of machinery for irrigation operations and maintenance nationwide. The equipment includes vehicles, backhoes, dump trucks, and excavators.  | PND