On March 23, 2026, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. personally inspected the ₱332 million Solar-Powered Pump Irrigation Projects (SPIPs) in Camarines Sur. Spanning over 1,800 hectares of farmland, the project benefits more than 1,800 farmers across the municipalities of Minalabac and Bula.
Funded under the Establishment of Groundwater Pump Irrigation Project (EGPIP) Solar CY 2024, these initiatives aim to strengthen food security and modernize the agriculture sector through innovative, climate-resilient technology.
In Minalabac, members of the New Mataoroc, San Jose, Sagrada Familia, Baliaug Viejo (MASSBA) Multi-Purpose Cooperative are now reaping the advantage of the project. Equipped with 900 solar panels and inverter, the system can irrigate 1,255.85 hectares of farmland. By transitioning to solar energy, farmers have been relieved of high electricity costs, lowering their expenses, leading to lower overhead expenses and increased productivity.
Since the project became operational in December 2025, sufficient water supply has effectively eliminated farm losses.
“Ang yield kang panahon, halimbawa ang 1 hectare nag-aabot lang sa 70 kaban. Ngunyan po ta dire-diretso ang tubig, naantendiran na entero ang satuyang mga umahan ning tubig lalo na kung flowering stage na. Naobserbaran mi itong cropping mi kang nakaagi, nag-abot na sa 90-100 kaban kada ektarya,” shared Jesus Privaldos, Chairperson of the New MASSBA Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
Privaldos added that the solarized irrigation system has drastically reduced their electricity bills.
“Huli ta solarized na, mabawas na ang samuyang bill consumption pag-abot sa kuryente. Ang pagbuhay kan saradit na mga paraoma, mababago. Bakong arog kang panahon na talagang nagsa-strategize lang ta nagtitipid sa bayad kang kuryente.”
Meanwhile, the irrigation project in Bula, covering a service area of 551.92 hectares, supports the farmers of San Agustin-San Ramon Agrarian Reform Farmers’ Cooperative (SARFC).
Sonia S. Berce, one of the Board of Directors of SARFC who owns three hectares of farmland, shared, "100% po ang tulong sa amin niyan. Noong nakaraan po, electric-powered pa ang aming irrigation pump kaya po ang binabayaran ng farmers kada cropping is 600 kilos per hectare, o katumbas ng 12 kaban. Ngayon na solar-powered na, wala na kaming babayaran."
The impact is already being felt. Before the transition to solar energy, the SARFC Cooperative spent between ₱300,000 and ₱450,000 per month on electricity. With the shift to renewable energy, those costs have dropped significantly, returning more income to the farmers and ensuring a more reliable, year-round water supply.
“Saro po sa gustong mangyari ni PBBM is magkaigwa kita ning climate change adaptive na mga project. Even though infrastructure ‘yan, dapat nagsusunod sa pagbabago kang panahon. Iyo po ‘yan ang parte kang 7-Point Strategic Agendas na itong mga proyekto na i-implement ta po through the NIA is maging climate change adaptive din,” emphasized Maria Cleofe Baraero, Information Officer of NIA 5.
Baraero also noted the speed of the implementation and its impact to the farmers. “Very happy pong maray si satuyang mga farmer-beneficiaries dahil po na-realize na itong haluyon na po nindang request na magkaigwa ning sustainable na irrigation project digdi sa Bicol Region. Sa arog po kaning pagkakataon na medyo mahal ang fuel, malangkaw din ang electricity bill, at least nawara na po ito sa mga burden kang mga farmers.”
The completion of these projects underscores the national government’s commitment to modernizing irrigation, boosting agricultural output, and improving the livelihoods of farmers through sustainable, green solutions.
